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RICHMOND--Veteran state Sen. John Chichester is facing opposition from some Republican party leaders in his primary race against conservative Mike Rothfeld.
In the primary battle for the 28th District Senate seat, Rothfeld has managed to gain the backing of at least three local party chairmen against Chichester, the senior Republican in the state Senate.
Rothfeld has been endorsed by 1st Congressional District Republican chairman Russ Moulton, as well as Fredericksburg GOP chairman Shaun Kenney and King George County Republican chairman John Headley.
Chichester has the support of Stafford County party chairman Steven Apicella, Westmoreland County's Robert Fountain and perhaps others; not all local unit chairmen could be reached for this article, and Chichester said most local chairman in the district are supporting him.
The divisions among the local party chairmen reflect the growing schism within the Republican Party itself, between the moderates, such as Chichester, and the conservatives, like Rothfeld.
The moderates' mantra is fiscal re-sponsibility, while conservatives have zeroed in on making low taxes and pro-life legislation their central passion, and they have no qualms about trying to take down powerful moderates who don't toe the anti-tax line and who don't care as much about social issues.
Taxes and abortion appear to be the driving forces behind Moulton's, Kenney's and Headley's decisions to support Rothfeld.
Moulton announced his support for Rothfeld in a news release last week in which he invited voters to three "meet and greets" with Rothfeld, praising the challenger as a "passionate and articulate conservative who will lead the fight to cut taxes" and oppose abortion.
Moulton wrote that Chichester has "put our great Republican party in crisis."
"His record during the Gov. Allen and Gilmore administrations opposing tax cuts, supporting growth in state spending, and opposing pro-life legislation has put him at odds with our grassroots and our core values," Moulton wrote. "Republicans must choose between loyalty to an incumbent focused on the trappings of big government, or loyalty to the key principles that make us Republican."
Chichester was unfazed by Moulton's endorsement of Rothfeld.
"No one on earth would be surprised that Russ Moulton would endorse my opponent," Chichester said. "That's good that he has his endorsement. Now maybe together they can articulate some plans for Virginia's future and solving the problems that Virginia has, rather than continuously being negative. Maybe he can help my opponent with a positive spin rather than being negative for the past four weeks."
Chichester led the state Senate in opposing, in 2001, then-Gov. Jim Gilmore's efforts to increase the size of the car-tax cut. That move, which led to the state's first-ever budget impasse, has earned him Rothfeld's challenge and the ire of some Republicans.
Chichester's role in the impasse is what brought Headley into the Rothfeld fold.
"The straw that broke the camel's back was when Sen. Chichester opposed repealing the [car] tax and stood in the way," Headley said. "That concerned a lot of people."
Kenney defected to Rothfeld because of a combination of tax and abortion issues.
"The tax issue is one thing that got me," Kenney said. "[And] not showing up for the vote on parental consent when he knew it was a 7-7 split and it was important to show up. I want to see somebody out there who's actually going to vote for my issues."
The moderates aren't letting the conservatives out-shout them.
Apicella, a Chichester supporter, said Moulton must be speaking for himself, as he did not ask the rest of the 1st District Republicans to join him in endorsing Rothfeld.
Apicella did get the Stafford County GOP's executive committee to sign off on supporting Chichester.
In a written statement, Apicella listed Chichester's senior position within the Senate, as well as his work leading the Senate Finance Committee, as reasons to re-elect the incumbent.
"Senator Chichester's experience has helped guide Virginia through tough economic times, balancing a state budget that maintains critical services without tax increases," Apicella wrote. "He has worked diligently to provide funds to Stafford and the 28th District, from Fauquier to Lancaster, to help our local economies, promote jobs, meet community needs, and support our rapidly growing schools."
Westmoreland County GOP chairman Robert Fountain also praised Chichester's experience.
"I like his general governing philosophy. I think he's done a marvelous job for the 28th District over the years," Fountain said. "I worked with him in the General Assembly and I just think he's a tremendous asset to our area with his seniority and with his general philosophy of government."
In a phone interview, Moulton said Chichester's voting record on taxes and abortion issues is surprising some Republicans.
"The rank-and-file Republicans really in the district are taking a look," Moulton said. "I think they're in a wait-and-see attitude."