Former Republican Senate nominee, Dr. Daniel Gade, who was defeated by incumbent Senator Mark R. Warner (D) this November announced today that he will not be seeking statewide office in Virginia next year, and will instead be focusing his efforts on electing conservative veterans across the Commonwealth with the founding of his new political action committee, New Mission PAC.

Gade, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who lost his right leg during a combat tour in Iraq, told the Washington Post, “Career politicians are always looking for their next election. Instead, I’m looking for the next way to help.”

In launching New Mission PAC, Gade seeks to “assist veterans running for office, inform voters on issues related to armed services and veterans policy, and elect public officials with a new mission to serve” by bringing his breadth of personal and professional experience through his service on the National Council on Disability and privately funded research to the table.

Gade highlights that out of our current Congressional makeup, less than 20% have ever served within the U.S. Military, and that percentage has continued to decline since the 1970s. Unhappy with the current status quo, Gade told the Washington Post that he would like to see a greater effort from lawmakers on helping veterans find work and remain employed.

Gade, who despite losing to Senator Warner (D) by 12 points, earned the trust of 1.9 million voters across the Commonwealth. Gade told the Washington Post that New Mission PAC plans to focus its resources on get-out-the-vote efforts targeting veterans in Georgia’s Jan. 5 Senate runoff election in support of the Republican ticket, followed by a shift to supporting veteran conservatives competing in state-level races throughout the 2021 election cycle.

Learn more about New Mission PAC here.