Exclusive — Combat Veteran Candidates Join Forces in Virginia: Hung Cao Endorses Derrick Anderson for Congress

Derrick Anderson
Derrick Anderson for VA
Ashley Oliver

Republican Hung Cao, a retired Navy captain running for Congress, is endorsing a fellow military veteran as the two work to unseat vulnerable Democrats in this year’s midterms in Virginia, Breitbart News has learned.

Cao is backing Derrick Anderson, a former Green Beret commander who served six tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Anderson’s race to unseat Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) in Virginia’s Seventh District.

“It’s not the time for bureaucrats and politicians in Congress,” Cao said in a statement Thursday. “It’s time for warriors like Derrick Anderson who will continue to fight for our constitution. I’ll be proud to stand beside him in Congress.”

Cao, who also served in Iraq and Afghanistan, won the Republican “firehouse primary” in Virginia’s Tenth District over the past weekend, solidifying his candidacy against Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA).

The Tenth District and two other districts in Virginia chose their candidates Saturday, but several other districts, including the Seventh, will choose their candidates through the statewide primary process.

Anderson, who is a frontrunner in a tight Republican primary race with multiple other competitive contenders, will therefore compete for the Seventh District Republican nomination on Virginia’s primary day on June 21.

In response to Cao’s endorsement, Anderson said in a statement, “Hung Cao ran an outstanding race in VA-10 and I am honored to have him in my corner in the final weeks of my primary.”

“We must flip the House and fire Nancy Pelosi to get our country back on track,” he continued. “I am the strongest candidate in the 7th district primary and am prepared to beat Abigail Spanberger. Thank you to my combat veteran brother, Hung Cao, for your support.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), which is the main campaign arm of House Republicans, is targeting both Spanberger’s and Wexton’s seats as possible pickup opportunities as Republicans seek to take control of the House majority in November.

Spanperger’s district changed significantly during last year’s redistricting process and no longer includes the Richmond suburbs where Spanberger lives. The new district includes parts of Prince William County, Stafford County, and Spotsylvania County — which is Anderson’s hometown — and it is considered a toss-up by Cook Political Report.

Republicans view Spanberger’s seat as a ripe pickup opportunity, while Democrats are padding Spanberger with funding to protect her incumbency.

Unseating Wexton will be more of an uphill battle. The Tenth District is situated in the blue region of Northern Virginia; however, it shifted slightly in Republicans’ favor during last year’s redistricting process.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) only lost the redrawn district by 1.6 percent, according to a Virginia Public Access Project estimate. That slim margin suggests Republicans have a chance in the district, especially given the district includes Loudoun County, which came to be known in 2021 as “ground zero” in the education debates over transgender policies, critical race theory, and masking children.

“Our prospects for reclaiming the Tenth Congressional District and Virginia from Jennifer Wexton and the Democrats are very good,” Tenth District Republican Party chairman Geary Higgins told Breitbart News, citing education issues.

NRCC chair Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) also indicated his optimism about flipping the district, saying in a statement after Cao’s primary win, “Jennifer Wexton supports Democrats’ failed agenda that is shrinking parental rights, fueling inflation, and letting violent crime run rampant. Virginians will fire Wexton in November and elect Hung Cao.”

Write to Ashley Oliver at aoliver@breitbart.com. Follow her on Twitter at @asholiver.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.