United We Stand: Introducing Andrew Knaggs, Candidate for U.S. Congress, 7th District

By Kim Smith

We've known for a very long time that  our    strength  is   in mutual
Support   and   mutually-supportive
actions. A look at Virginia's state-wide race outcomes for the
Republican Party clearly demonstrate that  concept.

And while "all politics is local" is a by-word with its truth being in
the immediacy of actions that affect us, it's no longer just "local"
given the 21st century brand of running elections. Dollars flow in from
all over the country, the so-called "elite" come to campaign for
Virginia's candidates even if the former have never spent more than a
flight over part of us and drive from the airport in Virginia.

If we are to become a real force for the Rule of Law, for the supremacy
of the U.S. Constitution and all it encompasses, we each must expand our
educational/political reach – and one of the ways is to know candidates
who are NOT running in our districts, help them however we can, and
encourage our friends in other districts, regions or the state to become
more engaged in the political process.

We recently had the privilege of meeting Andrew Knaggs, Candidate for US
Congress in the 7th District. He's a newcomer to running for political
office and is most impressive! Among his credentials are:  graduation
from West Point in 1996 with a BS degree in civil engineering.
Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, he was a combat platoon leader who
deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Thunder.

His military career led to becoming a Special Forces officer, a Green
Beret who deployed for combat in Iraqi Freedom I and II where he engaged
in special ops in western Iraq, collaborating with multiple agencies and
indigenous elements. His actions earned him a Bronze Star Medal.

When he separated from the military, he enrolled in William & Mary Law
School.  While there, he was elected president of the W & M chapter of
the Federalist Society and served as a general editor of the Harvard
Journal of Law and Public Policy (Vol. 30, No. 1, 2006). Upon graduation
(2008), he served as a legal associate for a regional law firm in
Richmond and in 2013 formed his own law firm.

Andrew has never been far from the defense of this country, however. The
Department of Defense hired him to be Operations Support Branch Chief
(Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization) with a later
promotion to Chief of Research and Engineering Division (use of venture
capital for development of mission-oriented capabilities). Still later,
he joined the Office of Secretary of Defense as Deputy Director of
Special Operations and Irregular Warfare and was subsequently appointed
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and Special Operations and
Combating Terrorism in the Trump Administration (2017-2019).

When one has the opportunity to listen to Mr. Knaggs speak, it becomes
clear immediately that he is an unapologetic conservative Republican –
including pro-life and pro-Second Amendment.  He's running, in a
nutshell, "because I believe the Democrats' vision for this country is
wrong".

There are some strong candidates running in the 7th District. In
addition to Andrew, we also have Tina Ramirez and Nick Freitas plus four
others. Pay attention to this race. We have a real chance to reclaim a
Congressional seat on our road to reclaiming the House – and we know
what losing the House in Washington as well as Richmond has meant and
will mean until we reverse it.

Engage your Virginia friends. Help them explore the candidates'
credentials. Write notes, send e-mails, talk about principles that
matter, and why this country and its institutions matter. And always,
learn more.  We have some real "keepers" here – so let's support them
and one another.