RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — An outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump who narrowly lost a bid to be Virginia’s GOP candidate for governor is now running for the U.S. Senate.
Corey Stewart announced his Senate candidacy Thursday, saying he is the type of Republican “fighter” needed to unseat Sen. Tim Kaine in next year’s election.
Stewart is a former state campaign chairman for Trump who lost to former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie in the GOP gubernatorial primary last month. The underfunded Stewart ran a deliberately provocative campaign, which included outspoken support for Confederate symbols, to gain attention.
He’s promising to run a similarly aggressive campaign for Senate.
Several other Republicans, including former Gov. Jim Gilmore and former presidential candidate Carly Fiorina, have also expressed interest in running.