Under pressure from within her own party, Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase, the self-proclaimed “redneck from Chesterfield,” says she knows how to win – by refusing to compromise conservative values and standing up for constituents. Photo by Ash Daniel

The sun has almost set on a mild early fall evening as Amanda Chase exits Swift Creek Middle School, flanked by an entourage that includes her husband, her campaign manager and about a dozen supporters.

A few hours earlier, the state senator learned she had been exiled from the Chesterfield County Republican Committee for allegedly violating the state party’s prohibition against support...