Senator Amanda Chase, Republican gubernatorial candidate and representative of Virginia’s 11th District, has been censured by the Virginia Senate after she attended the January 6 riots on Capitol Hill. Censuring is not a legal motion to remove a lawmaker, but it’s a formal stance of disapproval. This makes it difficult to serve on committees or gain support for bills. Chase had already been removed from numerous committees after quitting the Senate Republican Caucus in protest of certain caucus leaders criticisms of her.

The Senate voted 24-9 in favor of censuring Chase. It is believed that she was not present in the mob that overtook the Capitol Building, though she was openly present at the riots in Washington DC. Chase called the other rioters “patriots,” amid condemnation from fellow state senators, saying they were people “who love their country and do not want to see our great republic turned into a socialist country.” She wrote that “President Trump should declare martial law…” after President Biden won the election.

“The inflammatory statements and actions of Senator Amanda F. Chase during her tenure in the Senate of Virginia have created and aggravated tensions, misled constituents and citizens, and obstructed the Senate’s business in service of the Commonwealth,” the Senate resolution stated. 

Chase has drawn vast criticisms from across the aisle for actions such as combatting Confederate Robert E Lee’s statue removal, fundraising for conspiracy theorist Ted Nungent, cursing at police officers due to a parking dispute and refusing to wear a mask. She also made remarks about fellow gubernatorial candidate and Senator Jennifer McClellan (D-9) serving on Virginia’s Black Caucus, saying she “is not for ALL Virginians.” Chase is the first woman to be a Republican candidate for governor in Virginia, but her campaign has alarmed Democrats and Republicans alike. Republicans opted to select their candidates instead of having an open primary, but Chase says she will be running as an independent.

Initially, Chase said she would wear the censures as a badge of pride. Colleagues slammed her, saying it is a “badge of shame.” She appears to have changed her feelings on the matter, as she is now suing the Virginia Senate. She claims she is being slandered, and that her First Amendment rights are being violated for holding an “unpopular political positions.” Senator John Bell, who introduced the censuring, says she has the right to take legal action, but does assume the case will be tossed from courts.

The State Senate said that Chase’s actions were part of a “pattern of unacceptable conduct.”