Rich Anderson issued his first statement as Chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia.
He called for the resignation of Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas, of Hampton Roads, after she was charged with a felony following the toppling of a statue in downtown Portsmouth on June 10 that severely injured a fellow protestor.
“Virginians demand leadership from their elected officials. Senator Lucas’s behavior is far from what leaders of our Commonwealth should strive for. Felony charges leveled against a sitting State Senator are to be taken seriously, and should not be sought out for political gain. It is for that reason that the Republican Party of Virginia calls for Senator Lucas to turn herself in. Immediately.”
The state senator whose been in office since 1992 has issued no public statement via Twitter in response to the call for her resignation.
Anderson was elected chairman in a statewide party canvass on Saturday. He replaces Jack Wilson, defeating him and Michael Schoelwer in a three-way race.
The retired Air Force Colonel served in the Virginia General Assembly from 2010 to 2017, representing the 51st House District, which encompasses the majority of Prince William County. In an interview with PLN on July 29, he outlined a plan to level the political playing field in the Democrat-controlled state.
Anderson issued this statement following his win:
“I thank the delegates to the 2020 Republican Party of Virginia State Convention for placing their trust in me to serve as their state chairman. On behalf of RPV and our 126 local Republican units, I also express our appreciation to Chairman Jack Wilson for his devoted service in multiple leadership positions at the unit, district, state, and national levels.
I am especially grateful to those who offered themselves as candidates and congratulate those who were today elected to positions of senior leadership in our party. With party elections behind us, we now turn our full energies to re-electing President Trump, electing Daniel Gade to the U.S. Senate, and electing 11 great Republicans to the U.S. House. We are at a critical crossroads in the life of our Commonwealth and country, and it is imperative that Virginia Republicans elect and send these outstanding leaders to Washington next January.”
