Daniel Gade is the Republican candidate for Virginia’s U.S. Senate seat. The Congressional election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2020.
He is facing Democratic incumbent Mark Warner.
Candidate Name: Daniel Gade
Race: U.S. Senate
Party: Republican
Website: gadeforvirginia.com
Biography: Dr. Daniel Gade is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, professor, and public policy leader. During more than 20 years of military service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts.
Daniel graduated from West Point in 1997 and served in multiple locations in the United States and Korea. In 2004, his unit deployed to Iraq for Operation Iraqi Freedom. He led his unit of 150 soldiers on many combat missions, was wounded by enemy fire twice, and was decorated for valor. His second combat wounding caused his entire right leg to be amputated, and he spent the next year in the hospital, enduring more than 40 surgeries.
His new, serious disability was life changing, but he decided to thrive. A year to the day after his injuries, he started his master of public administration, and later went on to earn a PhD in public administration and policy. He served in President George W. Bush’s administration, working on veteran issues and military healthcare, and has since served on several national-level policy councils, including the National Council on Disability and the VA Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation.
He taught political science, economics, and leadership courses at the United States Military Academy (West Point) from 2011 until his retirement from the Army in 2017. He served in President Donald Trump’s Administration for 15 months, and is now a professor at American University in Washington, DC.
Why should Virginians elect you to the U.S. Senate?
Since I was 17, I have served the Constitution to protect our rights and way of life, including sacrificing greatly in combat. When I look at America today, I’m concerned that those same rights and our shared values are under attack at home.
My opponent, Mark Warner, is not interested in standing up to the establishment or party bosses to defend Virginians. He’s just a run-of-the-mill career politician more interested in lining his pocketbook than serving the public. I have defended America against attacks overseas and I will defend her against attacks here at home as Virginia’s next U.S. Senator. I am ready and excited to send him packing in November.
What is the most important legislative issue facing Virginia, and what is your position on it?
Virginia’s businesses are dying because of Ralph Northam’s COVID-19 ‘stay-at-home or else’ order.
When I was serving in Iraq, I was wounded by a roadside bomb that cost me my entire right leg. While treating me, the heroic doctors that saved my life at the Navy surgical center ran out of my blood type and 25 sailors and Marines that I never knew donated their blood and saved my life.
Virginia’s small businesses are dying right now and they need a lifeline like I once did. Let’s get businesses open and people back to work while following the advice of experts in the White House to keep each other healthy.
What is the top challenge facing Virginia, and how would you address it if elected?
My guiding principles in the Senate will be to limit government, promote free markets, maintain a strong national defense and protect individual liberties.
This election is about so much more than any single issue facing Virginia. This election is about limiting the role of government in our lives and allowing individuals to thrive and live their lives as they see fit.
Virginians, whether in NoVA, the Beach or along I-81, have been unfortunately plagued with politicians who believe they get to legislate and dictate morality. My opponent views this race as a way to keep his power. I view it as a way to restore power to the people.
In light of Virginia’s recent gun control debates, what, if any, gun laws would you support changing?
Since October, I have been humbled, honored and reminded of America’s best features as I’ve joined citizens’ fight for our Second Amendment rights in Virginia Beach, Accomack, Shenandoah, Wythe County, Richmond, and across the Commonwealth.
This peaceful movement is not about guns, it’s about sending a message to would-be tyrants that our Constitutional rights will not be infringed. I have fought and bled for our rights, and career politicians like Mark Warner have no chance of taking them away.
We need to enforce the gun laws we have now. We have lots of work to do to make sure our rights are protected across state lines and that politicians who don’t know what they’re talking about don’t get to rush to further infringe on our rights.
What are the top three issues created by the coronavirus pandemic in Virginia, and how would you plan to address them?
Let’s be clear, American families are suffering because China lied and people died. Now our businesses need help, our healthcare capacity is being strangled and parents are seeing firsthand what’s going on in our kid’s schools.
I am in this race to solve hard problems like these. Mark Warner, Chuck Schumer, and Nancy Pelosi view this crisis as a tool to push a radical agenda that would completely ruin what’s left of our American system. Programs like Medicare for all, skyrocketing taxes and a one-size-fits-all approach to education are not the American way.
Once we win this war, I will fight to regain our record economic growth, reform a healthcare system that puts patients first, and ensure our education system meets the needs of a post-Coronavirus America.”
