Update: Daniel Gade has won the Republican Senate primary in Virginia, and will be running against Democrat Mark Warner for the U.S. Senate seat. Click here for the official results.
Combat veteran Daniel Gade, one of three Republican candidates running in the Virginia Senate primary, lost his leg while he was deployed in Iraq in 2005. His Humvee was hit by an IED and his leg was amputated at the hip. His doctors weren’t sure whether he’d be permanently in a wheelchair or not. “They said I couldn’t swim and I swam, they said I couldn’t do an Iron Man and I did an Iron Man…I’m not done,” Gade said in his political ad.
Gade retired as a lieutenant colonel in 2017 and worked for President Trump in the U.S. Department of Labor helping veterans find employment. He’s also taught at American University and West Point. He’s very critical of Senator Mark Warner, his potential opponent this November. Gade says the senator tends to slide with the Democrats toward whichever issue they need support on.
On the flipside, he approves of the president’s performance so far but says he’s happy to push back if he doesn’t agree with Trump’s policies, including rolling back qualified immunity. Qualified immunity protects members of law enforcement from a civil suit if they break the law.
“He said that repealing qualified immunity is a bad idea, or rolling back qualified immunity is a bad idea, and I think that’s a part of criminal justice reform going forward,” said Gade during a Zoom interview. “So that’s a conversation we can have because, ultimately, I’m applying for a job that is a part of a separate but equal branch of government. So I’ll be an ally of the president when he’s right and I’ll be an encourager to do the right thing when I think he’s doing the wrong thing.”
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Watch for live results as polls close in Virginia tonight on WDVM 25.
