Nick Freitas Gives Corey Stewart Competition for GOP Senate Nomination

REPOST: A State Lawmaker Gives Corey Stewart Competition for GOP Senate Nomination By Jenna Portnoy

Del. Nick Freitas, a Republican U.S. Senate hopeful from Virginia, is having a moment.

A former Green Beret with libertarian bona fides, Freitas last week gave a heated floor speech about the societal ills that he believes cause mass shootings. Along the way he offended African American lawmakers and seemed to suggest “the abortion industry” was to blame for gun violence.

Democrats were left “emotionally shaken.” Republicans couldn’t get enough.

Video of the speech has been viewed more than 14 million times on Facebook. A conservative media headline gushed, “A Star is Born!” “Fox and Friends” put him on the air. Lou Dobbs called it “brilliant,” tweeting, “Watch this!”

The speech helped Freitas, a little-known lawmaker, to present himself as a credible alternative to Corey R. Stewart in the primary contest to field a GOP challenger to Sen. Tim Kaine (D) in November.

John Fredericks, host of a popular conservative radio show who was co-chair of Trump’s Virginia campaign after Stewart was fired from the post, said Freitas has a shot, but Stewart is the favorite. Anyone who runs against him has to be as aggressive as he is, Fredericks said.

“The thing is, if you don’t respond to Corey he’s going to blow your head off,” he said. “Corey plays to win. He goes to a slingshot fight and he brings a bazooka.”

Read the full report: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/a-state-lawmaker-gives-corey-stewart-competition-for-gop-senate-nomination/2018/03/09/4be56714-222e-11e8-86f6-54bfff693d2b_story.html