Former Rep. Scott Taylor has dropped his challenge for the Virginia Senate seat held by Mark Warner. He will run instead for the seat he used to have in the House.
This is good news for those of us who support Daniel Gade for the Republican nomination, and all the more reason to contribute to his campaign (see below). However, I believe that Daniel, a more solidly conservative candidate than his ex-rival, had an excellent shot at defeating Taylor.
Taylor has got a good reason for taking the easy way out. The congressional seat he will now try to win is in a district that President Trump carried in 2016. Mitt Romney and John McCain also carried it, albeit narrowly. Taylor’s reelection bid fell short by only two percentage points, or about 6,000 votes.
By running against Mark Warner, Daniel Gade is taking on a more formidable challenge. But that’s who Daniel is.
He’s 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 this, running against Mark Warner must seem like a picnic.
It isn’t, though. Warner remains popular in Virginia, and the state has been moving steadily leftward.
Yet, Warner isn’t unbeatable. Ed Gillespie nearly unseated him five years ago.
Moreover, Warner will vote for impeachment next year. I haven’t seen polling on how impeachment is viewed by Virginia voters, but at the rate things are going, a “yes” vote may hurt Warner’s standing. And Warner may be saddled with a far left presidential candidate like Elizabeth Warren (though this seems less likely than it did a month ago).
Long story short, if Trump has a big 2020, it might well mean early retirement for Mark Warner.
But to make this happen, Daniel Gade needs your support. You can contribute to his campaign here.
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