State Sen. Amanda Chase (center) with Chesterfield Sheriff Karl Leonard (center right) and Gov. Ralph Northam (right) during a tour of the Chesterfield County Jail’s heroin recovery program in April 2018. Photo by Ash Daniel

It’s less than two months before Election Day and two of Chesterfield’s most prominent Republican officials are throwing verbal haymakers – not at their respective opponents, but at each other.

In a back-and-forth ignited by a Facebook post, Sheriff Karl Leonard chastised state Sen. Amanda Chase last week, suggesting she is “desperate” to claim support for her reelection bid from anyone in law enforcement following ...