Former Virginia state Sen. Glen Sturtevant is projected to narrowly defeat incumbent state Sen. Amanda Chase and challenger Tina Ramirez in the GOP Virginia state senate primary for the District 12 seat on June 20.
The Associated Press called the race in favor of Sturtevant at around 8:55 p.m. ET.
According to the state Department of Elections, Sturtevant won 8,493 votes, or 39.5 percent of ballots cast, while Chase received 8,153 votes, or 37.9 percent, and Ramirez received 4,874, or 22.6 percent.
However, provisional ballots and those mailed in prior to the election but are yet to be delivered have not yet been completely counted. The results will not be finalized until they have been certified by the State Board of Elections.
The Chesterfield County-based 12th Senate District also includes parts of Colonial Heights.
Sturtevant, a practicing attorney, was elected to the Virginia Senate in 2015, representing the 10th District until 2020 when he was defeated in his reelection bid by Democrat Ghazala Hashmi in 2019.
He is also the likely favorite in the Nov. 7 general election against Democrat Natan McKenzie.
His campaign focused heavily on gun rights, opposing abortion, and increasing support for police.
Censured by Senate
“It’s going to take all of us as Republicans working together to win back the State Senate, to hold the House of Delegates, and work together with Governor [Glenn] Youngkin to get the Commonwealth on a common sense path again,” he told WTVR CBS 6 News, Richmond.
The Republican has not yet publicly commented on the results.
Chase, meanwhile, has served in the Senate since 2016. However, she was censured by the Virginia Senate in 2021 for an alleged “pattern of unacceptable conduct” including comments she made in support of 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt—who was fatally shot by U.S. Capitol Police during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol—and others who died on the day, including law enforcement officials.
“We remember Ashli and the three who died of medical emergencies and the Capitol Police officer who died during the chaos at the Capitol. These were not rioters and looters, these were patriots who love their country and do not want to see our great republic turned into a socialist country,” she said at the time.
Chase’s campaign prioritized securing the southern border, supporting parental rights, opposing abortion, providing additional health care to veterans, and bolstering Second Amendment rights. She also took aim at Sturtevant’s past liberal voting record on issues such as red flag laws.
She has not yet conceded the primary election, writing on Facebook late Tuesday evening: “340 votes to victory. We were winning until the early voting votes were counted.”
Chase Not Conceding
In a separate post, Chase thanked volunteers and grassroots donors who had invested in her Senate race.
“I have not conceded. We will make a statement probably tomorrow,” she added.
Ramirez, a single mother who founded an international human rights organization, has also campaigned on similar issues as Sturtevant and Chase.
She has not yet released a statement regarding the results.
Elsewhere Tuesday, Democratic Sen. Joe Morrissey, a political centrist, was beaten by former state legislator Lashrecse Aird, who has been vocal in her support for abortion rights.
In her winning speech, Aird thanked her family and friends for their support and standing by her side “every single day.”
“This win is for my kids; it’s for the kids and the families of this district,” Aird said. “It’s for the kids and the families across our commonwealth. They deserve to know that when you are on the right side, you can win.”
Morrissey conceded at an event in Dinwiddie County, telling the crowd, “It’s been a great honor to serve in Senate, and I think we got a lot of things done, but I’m looking forward right now to being a full-time dad, coaching my kids in a myriad of sports, and moving onto the next chapter in my life.”
All 140 of Virgnia’s General Assembly seats are on the ballot in the November general election. Currently, Republicans have a majority in the House of Delegates while Democrats have slim control of the state Senate.
From The Epoch Times