Daniel Gade for the Senate

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia will be seeking reelection next year. Many consider him a prohibitive favorite. However, Warner nearly lost in 2014, and might lose this time around if the GOP has a good year.

But defeating Warner requires a strong Republican challenger. Until recently, such a challenger was lacking. Scott Taylor, a former congressman, who entered the race in July does not fit that description for the reasons I set forth here.

Now, a strong challenger has entered the race. He’s Daniel Gade.

Daniel is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, who served for more than 20 years. In 2004, he deployed to Iraq where he led his unit on many combat missions, was wounded by enemy fire twice, and was decorated for valor.

Daniel’s second combat wounding resulted in the amputation of his entire right leg. He spent the next year in the hospital, enduring more than 40 surgeries.

After leaving the service, Daniel obtained a PhD in public administration and policy. He served in President George W. Bush’s administration, working on veteran issues and military healthcare. He then taught political science, economics, and leadership courses at the United States Military Academy. Having retired from the Army in 2017, Daniel is now a professor at American University.

President Trump nominated Daniel to be a commissioner of the Equal Employment Commission. I met Daniel while his nomination was pending.

I found him to be a rock solid constitutional conservative and one of the most personally impressive people I’ve ever encountered. He quickly overcame my suspicion that, as a non-lawyer, he might be outmaneuvered at the EEOC by Chai Feldblum, the radical commissioner who was part of the same slate of EEOC nominees. By the end of our lunch, that notion seemed laughable.

The slate that included Daniel and Feldblum was blocked because of Feldblum’s radical stance against religious freedom. Senate leadership declined to give Daniel an up-or-down vote on his own.

But EEOC’s loss can become Virginia’s gain, as well as America’s. In Daniel Gade, Virginians have the opportunity to elect a non-politician, an American hero, and a true conservative well versed in public policy.

Daniel told me that after taking the hit that blew up his leg, he was flown to a Navy hospital for emergency treatment. He needed so much blood of a certain type that the facility didn’t have enough for him.

On the spot, 25 sailors in the mess hall donated the blood Daniel needed to survive. The donors didn’t know Daniel. They didn’t know, or care, about his race, ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation. All that mattered was that an American’s life was in jeopardy.

It’s that sense of patriotism, duty, and solidarity that Daniel seeks to bring to a Senate that sorely needs it. You can help Daniel get there by joining me in contributing to his campaign here.

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