A Democratic Army veteran who rose to national prominence for his role in former President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial will be joining Congress at the same time Trump is set to return to the White House.
Retired Army Lt. Col. Eugene Vindman, the twin brother of one of the main witnesses in Trump's first impeachment who also helped blow the whistle on Trump, defeated Republican Derrick Anderson, a retired Green Beret, to win a House seat in Virginia in one of the most competitive races in the country. The Associated Press called the race Wednesday night.
Vindman and Anderson competed against each other in the race to replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., a former CIA officer who opted not to run for reelection for Congress so she can run for Virginia governor in 2025.
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Vindman and his twin brother Alex first entered the national consciousness in 2019 when Trump was impeached for trying to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into digging up dirt on now-President Joe Biden by withholding military aid from Ukraine.
Both Vindmans were career Army officers on detail with the National Security Council at the time. As part of his job with the NSC, Alex Vindman listened in on the phone call in which Trump pressured Zelenskyy, and he later testified to Congress about the call. Eugene Vindman, who was an ethics lawyer at the NSC, did not play as public a whistleblower role as his brother, but he also reported concerns about Trump's actions to a superior and helped advise his brother throughout the impeachment process.
Both brothers were quickly fired from the NSC after Trump was acquitted by the Senate. Eugene Vindman retired from the Army in 2022.
Vindman prominently featured his role in Trump's impeachment throughout his congressional campaign, focusing his message on protecting American democracy from Trump, as well as on abortion rights.
Anderson, meanwhile, touted his Green Beret background in a campaign in which he focused on the economy.
The race between Vindman and Anderson was one of several hotly contested competitions involving veterans seen as crucial to which party will control the House next year. Party control of the House was still undetermined as of Thursday afternoon, though Democrats had a narrower path than Republicans.
Also in a swing district in Virginia, Navy veteran Rep. Jen Kiggans, a Republican, defeated fellow Navy veteran Missy Cotter Smasal, a Democrat, according to an AP race call Wednesday night.
Other veteran incumbents who held onto their seats include Reps. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis.; Ryan Zinke, R-Mont.; John James, R-Mich.; Pat Ryan, D-N.Y.; and Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., among others.
Gil Cisneros, a Democratic Navy veteran who previously served in the House for one term before losing a race for reelection and then going on to serve as under secretary of defense for personnel in the Biden administration, won his race in California to return to the House.
In all, at least 76 veterans who ran for Congress had won their races as of Thursday afternoon, according to AP race calls.
Some key races involving veterans have yet to be called. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a retired Air Force officer who led the House Armed Services Committee's military quality-of-life subpanel, was leading his Democratic challenger by about 3% as of Thursday afternoon, but the race remained too close to call, according to the AP.
The rematch between GOP Army veteran Joe Kent and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., who defeated Kent two years ago, was also still too close to call, according to the AP.
Republicans have already secured control of the Senate next year, but a few races are uncalled there too, including that of Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a Marine Corps veteran.
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