Audio: Amanda Chase’s Attorney Argues That She’s Suing the VA GOP to “Save Them From Themselves”

On WRVA right-wing talk radio this morning, gubernatorial candidate Sen. Amanda Chase (R)’s attorney Tim Anderson explained the “crisis in the [Virginia] Republican Party” caused by its almost complete disarray when it comes to selecting a method of nomination for its 2021 statewide candidates. Chase, of course, has argued strongly for a primary, and has also been sharply critical of the Virginia GOP for disenfranchising 100s of 1000s of Republican voters by refusing to do so. Now, Chase is suing the VA GOP, with her attorney, Tim Anderson earlier this morning explaining the thinking:

• “We are in a crisis in the Republican Party and this lawsuit was not to hurt the Republican Party, it was literally filed to save them from themselves.”
• “They have elected a convention nominating method for the statewide candidates this year, and the only way they can conduct a convention is an assembled convention, which would be 5,000-10,000 people in Richmond. And that will not be allowed by the governor under the COVID orders…So the [Virginia Republican Party’s] State Central Committee…knew this when they made their decision to have a convention and then they’ve just been infighting with each other terribly about not amending the party plan to allow some kind of virtual…convention or a drive-through convention. They’re just literally disabled from moving because they’re fighting with each other…”
• Anderson says that Sen. Chase is “outrageously concerned” that the VA GOP won’t amend the party plan, and that what will happen is they won’t be able to have a convention and “it comes down to the 72 people on State Central choosing the candidate.” And that, Anderson argues, “will devastate the Republican Party; that will delegitimize the nominees, people will not participate in the process, and there will be no chance of a Republican winning this year if that happens.”
• “And so, Sen. Chase is coming in to literally try to save the party from themselves by having a court take off the table the convention option, so that maybe they can select the primary option or amend the plan to appropriately allow for some kind of coronavirus-compliant convention…”
• “Look, we’re coming on a hard deadline of February 23…that if they’re going to select a statewide primary…we have to announce that on or before February 23, and they have set their next hearing for February 27. So they’re intentionally just trying to run out the clock…and Sen. Chase does not want to let that happen. If we lose the primary option and the party still disagrees on amending the plan, it’s going to come down to these 72…the ‘nuclear option’…we do not want to see that happen.”
• “The State Central Committee is going to destroy the Republican chances of winning if they’re on this course, and she’s brave enough to step up and say look, I’m going to stick my neck out and sue my own party to try to fix that.”