Richmond, Virginia—Senators voted today to censure Senator Amanda Chase by a margin of 24-9, with 3 Republicans voting in favor of the measure. The censure comes in the wake of Senator Chase’s decision to speak at a rally before the armed insurrection on the United States Capitol on January 6 and send fundraising emails where she called the participants in the attack “patriots.” Many Republicans took to the floor to condemn Senator Chase’s actions. But one person who has remained silent throughout the whole process is Senator Chase’s Republican primary opponent in the race for Governor, Delegate Kirk Cox. 

“Delegate Cox’s silence on this issue is deafening. Voters deserve to know where he stands on this issue. Does he agree with Senator Chase that the participants in the attack on the Capitol are patriots? Or would he have voted with the majority of the Senate to censure her for her inability to keep her oath to uphold the United States Constitution,” Anna Scholl, executive director of Progress Virginia asked. “Voters deserve to know where Delegate Cox stands on this issue, and we urge him to speak out now.”

Background: 

• Senator Chase spoke at a rally before the attack on the United States Capitol.
• Chase later called the participants who attempted a coup “patriots.”
• Given the opportunity to apologize, Chase instead gave a rambling speech in which she doubled down on her support of the protest to overturn the results of an election and called out journalists she disagrees with by name. Many Senators agreed it fell short of the mark.
• Senators voted to censure Senator Chase on a vote that passed 24-9.
• Delegate Kirk Cox is running against Senator Chase in the Republican convention for Governor and has remained noticeably silent on the issue.