Conservative provocateur Corey Stewart beat Virginia state House Del. Nick Freitas and minister E.W. Jackson in Tuesday's Virginia Republican primary and will face Sen. Tim Kaine (D) in the fall. Stewart came close to beating former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie in the 2017 Virginia GOP gubernatorial primary, buoyed by his vocal support for Confederate monuments and the Confederate battle flag. He was also state chairman of Donald Trump's campaign before being fired for protesting against the RNC.
State and national Republicans expressed concern at Stewart's victory, suggesting it could endanger GOP candidates down ballot — at least three Republican House members are in competitive races this year in Virginia, including Reps. Barbara Comstock, Scott Taylor, and Dave Brat. The National Republican Senatorial Committee did not immediately say it will support Stewart, who has a much smaller war chest than Kaine. Stewart immediately promised a "vicious" campaign against Kaine, while Kaine's spokesman hit back, calling Stewart "a cruder imitation of Donald Trump who stokes white supremacy and brags about being 'ruthless and vicious.'"
"I am extremely disappointed that a candidate like Corey Stewart could win the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate," former Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) tweeted. GOP strategist Brian Walsh added: "Can we just skip past the part where the media focuses on all the idiotic, racist & embarrassing things Corey Stewart will say & do the next five months and just acknowledge Tim Kaine won his re-election tonight. And he has Stewart voters to thank for it."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposesspeed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wifespeed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
