Daniel Gade is shifting gears after losing in his bid to represent Virginia in the U.S. Senate. On Monday, Gade announced the creation of the New Mission PAC, which he said will support veterans for office and advocate pro-veteran policies.
“I launched New Mission PAC to expand our efforts to serve America’s veterans by assisting leaders running for public office across the nation,” Gade said in a Twitter press release. “Today, less than 20% of Congress has served in the armed forces – a steadily declining number that is mirrored at the state level.”
Gade had teased a big announcement, leading to speculation that he would announce a run for a Virginia office. On Tuesday, Gade told The Virginia Star that supporters had asked him to run for governor. While he’s not ruling out running for office again in the future, Gade said he’s setting his sights on participating in upcoming elections through the New Mission PAC.
“There are a lot of career politicians who wake up the day after an election and say, ‘Oh, what’s the next thing I’m going to run for, because that’s what I love doing, I love running,'” he said. “And I woke up the next day after the election in the greatest country on earth and said, “How do I continue to serve in the most valuable way?” And what I wanted to do was help conservative veteran candidates win.”
Gade said military veterans and law enforcement officers have already completed their first mission serving their country. When they run for office, they are continuing to serve their country, but with a new mission. The PAC is funded in part by leftover funds from his campaign, but Gade is also mobilizing the supporter base he built, asking for donations and volunteers to visit his website.
His first project is the Senate runoff in Georgia. Gade is planning to support Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue through independent expenditures on text messages and mailers aimed at mobilizing the veteran vote.
Gade said a candidate doesn’t have to be a veteran to get his support, but they do need to be good for veterans.
“It’s definitely different from a blank check for Republicans,” Gade said. “I’m going to fight for people who share my values, and if those people happen to be veterans, that’s great and I’m totally willing and excited about supporting veteran candidates.”
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and the Star News Digital Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Daniel Gade” by Daniel Gade.
