The Virginia Republican Party will not hold a primary election. Instead, they will hold a party convention, where a much smaller group of voters will decide the party’s nominee for governor. Since the beginning of 2020, state Republicans have remained out of power as the newly-empowered democratic majorities pass their agenda. The primary motive for the party, which has not won a single statewide contest since 2009, will be to stop the bleeding. 

Seven GOP candidates qualified to be on the May 7 ballot. Some of them include former State House Speaker Del. Kirk Cox and State Sen. Amanda Chase. The political division within this field has been evident. Del. Cox has casted himself as a Ronald Reagan-type mainstream conservative who can propel his crippled state party back into power. He is also the only candidate within the primary field to acknowledge President Biden’s victory in the 2020 Election. 

Sen. Amanda Chase officially identifies as an independent because of sustained Republican backlash against her. Several Senate Republicans joined all Democrats in a vote to censure her after her comment about the Jan. 6 Capitol rioters being “patriots.” She unsuccessfully sued the Republican party after their decision to hold a party convention instead of a primary. She identifies as a “Trump in Heels” candidate who called on Former President Trump to activate martial law in the wake of his electoral defeat.

State Republicans may be holding a convention with the explicit aim of blocking Chase from receiving the nomination. Her radical views on several mainstream issues largely represent those of a defeated president, so it may be wise for Republicans to take these measures. 

Even so, Trump still wields considerable power within the Republican party. His base, which still exists, may coalesce around a candidate such as Sen. Chase before Republicans can nominate someone else. By nominating her over a relative moderate such as Del. Cox, however,  Republicans risk turning away droves of already alienated suburban voters who once reliably voted for the party. This issue presents a double-edged sword for everyone involved.