Former President Donald Trump on Friday endorsed two Republican House candidates, both of whom served in the U.S. Army, who are seeking to retake Democratic-held House seats in this fall’s House elections.
President Trump’s endorsement of former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret Derrick Anderson and former Army Colonel Laurie Buckhout came the day after his debate with President Biden.
President Trump endorsed Anderson, the Republican candidate for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, saying, “He served bravely for our great country as a Green Beret, deploying to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon. Unlike this administration, he left no one behind!”
“Derrick is a staunch America First advocate who will take on a weak, pathetic Democrat named Yevgeny ‘Eugene’ Vindman who, along with Adam Schiff and others, lied to push the Ukraine impeachment hoax, which is a continuation of the largest and most dangerous political witch hunt in the history of our country.”
Ex-Special Forces soldier launches campaign to take Virginia House seat from Democrats
Former President Trump endorsed former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret Derrick Anderson and former Army Colonel Laurie Buckhout in an effort to flip House seats from Democrat to Republican. (Getty Images, Derrick Anderson, Laurie Buckhout)
Anderson is challenging the seat held by Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who announced in November that she would seek the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor in 2025.
“Derrick Anderson has my full support, and I know he will not let you down,” Trump said.
“I can no longer remain silent on the sidelines,” Anderson told Fox News Digital when announcing his campaign in September.
“I’ve spent my life serving my country overseas, including in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq, and watching President Biden and Democrats in Washington squander 22 years of sacrifice made by our military members and their families has left me with no choice but to end my career,” Anderson said at the time.
Anderson served in the Army from 2006 to 2014 before first running for office. In the run-up to the 2022 parliamentary elections. That same year, Spanberger narrowly lost the Republican primary to former House candidate Yesli Vega. The former CIA operative went on to defeat Vega by just under 5 percentage points in the general election, winning his third term after first being elected in the 2018 midterm elections.
Anderson advanced to the general election after defeating five other Republican candidates in the state’s June 18 primary. He will face off against Democratic candidate Vindman on November 5.
Derrick Anderson, a former Special Forces soldier and Virginia Republican candidate for Congress; (Derrick Anderson)
In announcing his endorsement of Buckhout, the Republican candidate for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, President Trump said, “Louis has served our country bravely as an Army Colonel and a decorated combat commander. In Congress, he will work to grow our economy, combat inflation, uphold the rule of law, secure our border, support our military and veterans, and protect the Second Amendment, which is under constant attack.”
Retired Army colonel seeking North Carolina House seat claims Democratic opponent ‘owes him’ Biden
Trump said he believes Buckhout “will be a great representative for the great people of the state’s 1st Congressional District.”
“I fully support Laurie Buckhout,” the former president added.
Buckhout served 26 years in the U.S. Army, reaching the rank of colonel before retiring in 2010. He is challenging incumbent Rep. Don Davis and seeking to flip a Democratic-held House seat to a Republican-held one.
Buckhout defeated her only opponent, Sandy Smith, in the primary to advance to the general election in March.
Speaking to Fox News Digital earlier this year, Buckhout said Davis United States Air Force Veteran The man, who served in the North Carolina Senate for 14 years before being elected to the House in November 2022, said he is a “career politician” who has “never run a business in my life.”
Buckhout also accused Davis of being “beholden to” President Biden and the Democratic policies that continue to wreak chaos in her district.
Republican candidate Laurie Buckhout for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District will face off against incumbent Democratic Congressman Don Davis (left) on November 5th. (Getty Images, Laurie Buckhout Campaign)
Davis later refuted Buckhout’s claims in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“Let me be clear: I want to thank Colonel Buckhout for her service to our country, but I think this statement of hers is completely off the mark because it’s not about being beholden to someone,” the first-time elected representative said. “I’ve heard talk about flipping seats, but for me, it’s about fighting every day for the families of eastern North Carolina.”
Buckhout will face off against Davis, who was elected unopposed, in the Nov. 5 general election.
