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A Virginia politician hoping to run for governor said Tuesday that seeing Derek Chauvin convicted of murdering George Floyd “makes me feel sick.”

State Sen. Amanda Freeman Chase, who describes herself as “Trump in heels,” addressed supporters at an event in King William County, Virginia, as part of her bid for governor.

Chase is one of five Virginia Republicans seeking the party nomination. The primary is in June and the election itself in November. She later told The Washington Post that she feared the verdict was politically motivated to avoid unrest.

In a video of Tuesday’s event, posted to Facebook, she covered several themes, including supporting law enforcement.

“Friends, today’s verdict makes me sick,” she said. “I am so concerned about our law enforcement right now quitting. And you should be too.”

That afternoon former police officer Derek Chauvin had been found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, a Black man. On May 25 last year, Chauvin killed Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes and 29 seconds.

Chase is one of the most conservative of GOP candidates, with a hardline stance on abortion, gun control, and policing reform. A fervent supporter of former President Donald Trump, on Tuesday she repeated false claims that “the 2020 presidential election was stolen.”

She also proudly touted her presence at a pro-Trump rally on January 6 in Washington, DC, the day that rioters stormed the Capitol. According to Post, she did not join the riot itself.

Speaking Tuesday, she said: “I had the audacity to attend the January 6 rally in DC and I called the peaceful protesters patriots, because they are.”

Chase has attracted the endorsement of Michael Flynn, the disgraced former National Security Advisor to Trump.

Her comments about the Chauvin verdict drew censure from Democrats and progressives. Both American Bridge 21st Century, a liberal super PAC, and the Democratic Party of Virginia, posted a clip of her comments to Twitter. “Will any Virginia Republican condemn this despicable racism?” asked the Virginia Democrats’ post.

Manuel Bonder, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said the comments were “racist and dangerous,” according to The Post.

“It’s incumbent upon the other candidates to condemn these comments in no uncertain terms. Anything less is a de facto agreement, and proves there is no daylight between them.”

Chase framed the Chauvin verdict as an attack on policing, what she called “our second line of defense” after gun ownership.

In a statement to The Post, Chase doubled down on her comments, saying: “I’m concerned that the decision was politically motivated more to prevent civil unrest than to serve justice.

“The decision made today sends a clear message to law enforcement; the justice system doesn’t have your back.”

In contrast, Patrick Yoes, the head of the Fraternal Order of Police — the country’s largest police union — welcomed the verdict, saying the “system of justice has worked as it should.”Chase’s line of reasoning has been popularized by figures like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson, who cast doubt on the Chauvin jury’s verdict on his Tuesday night show in the same way.

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