NORFOLK, Va. - As it appears former President Donald Trump will announce a bid next week for the White House in 2024, two Virginia Republicans are urging the party to move on from Trump.
In a Facebook post Wednesday morning, Del. Tim Anderson (R-Virginia Beach) announced he would not be supporting him.
Then on Thursday, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears (R-Virginia) expressed the same sentiment. "We have a clear mission and it is time to move on," she said on Fox Business Network.
In an interview Friday, Anderson said Trump on the ballot has led to election losses in Virginia and said his attacks on fellow Republicans and controversial style are off-putting to moderates and independents.
"I'm hoping other electeds will lead the way and we're going to actually be able to break away from Donald Trump. We will not win elections in Virginia," Anderson told News 3. "Now you can break away from Donald Trump and still say, 'I agreed with his policies,' but the way he governed, the way he communicates, the way he acts - it's unforgiveable. It's time for him to exit stage right."
Anderson is a self-described conservative in his first term in the House of Delegates, representing parts of Norfolk and Virginia Beach. He said he voted for Trump twice.
"We can be much more like Glenn Youngkin in Virginia and a lot less like Donald Trump," said Anderson. "It's the same conservative messaging. It's just how we are delivering it."
Amid all of this chatter, former President Trump took to his social media platform to go after Gov. Youngkin, where he strangely insinuated his last name sounds Chinese and said Youngkin wouldn't have won without his support.
Following a Veterans Day ceremony, Gov. Youngkin was asked for a response. He said he hadn't seen the post, but added, “I work really hard to bring people together, I do not call people names.”
Not all in the party agree with Anderson, including longtime Trump supporter State Sen. Amanda Chase (R-Chesterfield). "I think it was extremely inappropriate and it was not well timed," Chase said of Sears' and Anderson's comments.
Anderson says he's gotten a mixed response to his stance on Trump. He's preparing to run for election in 2023 in the newly drawn 100th District, which includes parts of Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore.
"Even if I lose my next election, I would rather be able to say I'm a Reagan kind of Republican. I'm not a Trump Republican and I think voters agree with me," he said.
