Doug Ollivant: ‘I Woke Up and Eugene Vindman Was My Congressman — Unacceptable’
November 13, 2025
By Uriah Kiser
Doug Ollivant, a retired U.S. Army officer and former National Security Council director, has announced his campaign for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District — a politically competitive seat stretching from eastern Prince William County through Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, and west to Culpeper, Greene, and a small slice of Albemarle County.
Ollivant, a Republican, appeared on Potomac Local News to discuss his decision to enter the race and his strategy for reaching voters in a district that has leaned Democratic in recent cycles.
“I woke up one morning and Eugene Vindman was my congressman, and I just found that utterly unacceptable,” Ollivant said. “I’m running to bring common sense, conservative, national security experience to the 7th District.”
A veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Ollivant served on the National Security Council under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama and later taught politics at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He now lives in Culpeper County with his family.
GOP Faces Uphill Battle After Recent Elections
Ollivant acknowledged that Republicans face “a tough slog uphill” following recent statewide losses but said the results were not hopeless.
“We had a perfect storm for Virginia Republicans,” he said. “A government shutdown, concerns over SNAP benefits, and a candidate who didn’t connect with voters all worked against us. But those conditions won’t repeat in 2026.”
He emphasized the need for Republicans to engage younger voters, including those energized by conservative student movements such as Turning Point USA, as well as growing immigrant populations across the district.
“We need to be speaking to the younger generation and new citizens from Central and South America, Iraq, Afghanistan, and India,” Ollivant said. “It’s an indictment of us that we haven’t found a way to talk to them effectively.”
A Crowded Field Forms in VA-07
Ollivant joins a growing field of Republicans seeking to unseat Democrat Eugene Vindman, who first won the seat after redistricting in 2021. State Sen. Tara Durant (R–Fredericksburg) has also announced her candidacy.
Ollivant said he plans to focus on economic issues, national security, and government accountability — key concerns he believes can unite conservative and independent voters.
“We need to diagnose what went wrong in this past election and move beyond our base,” he said. “Republicans can’t win if we only talk to ourselves.”
About the District
Virginia’s 7th District was redrawn in 2021 by court order after an independent redistricting commission failed to reach an agreement. The district includes rapidly growing suburban areas and historically conservative rural communities, making it one of the state’s most competitive congressional seats.
Ollivant’s campaign website is dougforvirginia.com.
