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TARGETED LEADER GENERAL ASSEMBLY >> CHICHESTER MAY HAVE A CHALLENGE

February 19, 2007 12:50 am

By CHELYEN DAVIS

RICHMOND

Nothing seems to have changed in the past four years.

With another election coming in November--and three years of Chichester-orchestrated tax plans behind them--anti-tax Republicans are again agitating to find someone to knock Chichester off his perch.

Third District Republican chairman Mike Wade wrote a scathing letter published on a blog called "Bacon's Rebellion," in which he called Chichester a "pariah" who should be purged.

"Chichester and his cohorts are the reason the Republican message has been lost and diluted in Virginia. If we are to maintain a majority based on Republican principles and the understanding of who owns the government then we must work statewide to remove this pariah," wrote Wade, who does not live in Chichester's district.

Other political bloggers have also denounced Chichester, and two bloggers--one a Spotsylvania Republican activist named D.J. McGuire, the other an anonymous "Not Chichester"--began a blog completely dedicated to defeating Chichester, titled "Chichester Must Go."

Bloggers don't necessarily represent the views of the majority of voters, nor are there many of them. But they do reflect a vocal anti-tax, conservative wing of the Republican Party that has been after Chichester for years.

In 2003, Chichester had a primary opponent from that wing, Mike Rothfeld. Chichester won easily, but it was a nasty campaign.

Since then, Chichester engineered the 2004 passage of a budget package that raised several taxes, much to the chagrin of the anti-tax groups. In 2006, his push for a gas tax increase to help pay for transportation again drew the ire of those groups.

And this year, he has again proposed tax increases for transportation.

House and Senate Republican leaders joined forces to introduce a "compromise" transportation plan that included general fund money, instead of tax increases, and Chichester--with the help of Democrats and a small group of like-minded Republican senators--has managed so far to block it.

So those who have always chafed under Chichester are calling for his head again.

The Washington Times had reported that the 28th Senate District Republican Committee was going to meet and discuss the future of Chichester's seat.

But Russ Moulton, a local conservative Republican activist who worked for Chichester's primary opponent in 2003, and also the chairman of the First Congressional District Republican party, said actively seeking a primary challenger isn't part of the committee's agenda.

"There may be people besides Sen. Chichester who wish to compete for that nomination. I'm just saying, we don't consider it official business of the committee to recruit candidates," Moulton said.

Any primary candidate would have to file to run by April 13. A primary election would be held June 12.

Chichester is unperturbed by his critics.

"I will always be an anathema to the extremists in our party," he said in an interview in his sixth-floor office recently. "I fully expect a candidate of the same ilk, another extremist, void of any new ideas that are workable, and against all forms of government."

Chichester's position as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee--whose members are picked by Chichester and who normally vote unanimously--makes him the most powerful member of the Senate, gives him the pulpit from which to advocate his own version of fiscal conservativism and makes him a big target.

"Chichester is really the field commander of the Republican moderate team," said University of Mary Washington political professor Stephen Farnsworth. "He, in his leadership position, is going to be the visible face of the movement. So the Republicans who vote with Chichester are targets in their own districts sometimes, sure, but they don't generate the same level of hostility as the leader of the movement does."

Chichester has lost some of his Senate allies during this year's transportation fight. Most of his "Gang of Five" have defected to support the compromise bill worked out with House leaders.

But some of them already have primary opponents, and make no bones about the fact that in an election year, there are some senators who need to be able to go home and say they passed legislation to improve transportation.

"We'd like very much for them to take something back," said Sen. Walter Stosch, R-Henrico, one of those with a primary battle on his hands. "It is politically important that we maintain our majority. I also want to protect some of our more vulnerable members."

Chichester hasn't actually said whether he intends to run again. He said he won't make that decision until after this legislative session is over. But he did say that he feels the state is in good fiscal shape and his job is now mostly "playing defense" against those he thinks would undermine that fiscal stability.

"The time may come that wintering in Richmond, which I've done for the last 29 years, is not so appealing," Chichester said, adding that he's about 50-50 on whether to run again, the same as he was four years ago.

But if Chichester retired, his replacement could be an anti-tax Republican--which Chichester doesn't want--or a Democrat, which Republicans wouldn't want.

"In an open-seat primary contest, a conservative Republican would have the advantage in the district. But if Chichester is on the ballot, Chichester wins," Farnsworth said. "If Chichester weren't the nominee, and the Republican Party offers up a very conservative candidate, a Rothfeld, I could imagine a candidate with some crossover being very interested in a race like that. So that's why the Republican Party might be better off with Chichester than not."

Farnsworth also said that while he has not talked to Chichester, he has trouble envisioning the senator giving up his fight against the right wing of his party this year.

"Chichester has been in a very aggressive battle with conservative Republicans over the definition of the party for years," Farnsworth said. "Given all the time and energy he's invested in that fight, it might be difficult for him to walk away from it, particularly since it's not over."

Chelyen Davis: 804/782-
Email: 9362cdavis@freelancestar.com