Va. GOP lawmakers in bitter feud after redistricting, shove accusation

According to the lawmakers, they were at the annual 9th District Republican Celebration Saturday night in Wytheville. As Williams and his wife were exiting the party, through a group of people, his body touched March’s.

He said it was accidental and that he didn’t even realize it was March, and that he apologized immediately.

She said he intentionally bumped her and had been picking fights with friends of hers at the event all night.

The event space was “massive” with lots of big rooms and empty spaces. “When he saw me, he kind of stomped over into this group of people until he could body slam me on the way out. He didn’t need to be within 30 feet of me. It was a bully tactic,” she said. “He kind of turned around and realized how bad it looked, and he goes, ‘Uh sorry,’ under his breath and kind of ran out the door,” March told The Washington Post.

After the event, she said, police took her to a magistrate’s office to fill out a criminal complaint. In the case of an alleged misdemeanor, if the police don’t witness it, the citizens lodge the complaint, Lt. Bryan Bard of the Wytheville police told The Post.

The complaint, a copy of which is in the Cardinal News — which covers Southern and Southwestern Virginia and reported the incident — alleges “my opponent intentionally pushed/shoulder slammed into me in front of a large group of people.”

The complaint includes a court hearing for Nov. 21 in Wytheville.

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Michael Brame, March’s legislative aide, told The Post he was a few feet away Saturday night and that the moment followed “escalating bullying” by Williams.

“He had interjected himself into several conversations. He would step in and give a very aggressive statement that wasn’t pertinent,” Brame said. On his way out of the event, Williams “in my belief deliberately bumped into her … She wasn’t harmed. It knocked her off-balance but didn’t knock her down. There is a considerable disparity in size” between the two lawmakers.

In an interview, Williams called March “dangerous” and said he and his wife had wanted to avoid her that night because he believes she looks for situations to distort for political advantage. “This has been brewing for a long time.”

“I think she is using this as a political hit job. This is a stunt because she has burned bridges and has no shot in continuing to represent these people,” he said. “This goes beyond politics. She has a pure hatred for anyone who crosses her. I can’t get over the fact that she would go to this extreme.”

Wytheville police spoke to both delegates at the event, Bard said.

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Williams, a lawyer, won an upset primary victory in early 2021 against seven-term Del. Charles Poindexter, in part by sticking very closely to former president Donald Trump. Wren worked for Trump’s legal team challenging the vote count in Wisconsin. Then last fall he won three-quarters of the votes in his heavily-conservative region against a Democratic newcomer to politics.

March, whose family conducts concealed-carry classes in their barbecue restaurants, won in an open seat, and attracted media attention after attending the rally on the Mall called by Trump on Jan. 6, 2021.