Doug Ollivant on The Reid Revolution
July 21, 2026Doug Ollivant speaks with John Reid on The Reid Revolution.
Doug Ollivant speaks with John Reid on The Reid Revolution.
Local and state Republicans are endorsing Doug Ollivant for Congress in the 7th District
The Culpeper resident highlighted previous endorsements from former Del. Nick Freitas, a leading conservative voice, former Congressman Frank Wolf, state Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Orange, and Del. Karen Hamilton, R-Orange, who walked with him in Thursday’s parade, carrying her tiny dog.
New endorsements are from Del. Phil Scott, R-Fredericksburg, Culpeper Town Councilman Jon Russell and Greene County Sheriff Steve Smith.
Russell said he thinks Ollivant will be a great candidate.
“I look forward to seeing his campaign rollout and this pivotal time in our nation’s history,” he said. “We need good men of good character to stand up and run for office.”
Ollivant is ready to run against the first-term incumbent.
“Affordability begins by firing Eugene Vindman in November,” he said in a statement. “These endorsements from conservative leaders across Virginia’s 7th District shows that Republicans are united to defeat Eugene Vindman despite his efforts to fire his own constituents in an illegal and unconstitutional gerrymander effort.
“All of us are united to help get results out of Washington, not excuses. Virginians want our values represented, not another two years of Vindman explaining to voters why Washington needs more of our hard-earned paychecks,” Ollivant said.
Ollivant is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, combat veteran and Republican candidate for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. A husband, father of seven, and national security expert with service at the National Security Council and West Point, he is running for Congress to restore fiscal responsibility, strengthen national security, and deliver common-sense solutions for Virginia families, with a focus on manufacturing, good food as a key to health and energy abundance, according to the release.
By Shirleen Guerra
A Republican candidate is campaigning for Virginia’s proposed 7th Congressional District as the state’s redistricting process remains tied up in court and certification of the April 21 vote is still unresolved.
Douglas Ollivant, a Culpeper County resident and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel, is running for Congress under a proposed map that would reshape parts of Northern Virginia and surrounding regions.
Ollivant told The Center Square he has been running in Virginia’s 7th District since September, before the redistricting amendment was introduced.
“I’ve been running in VA-07 since September of last year, so I was in the race long before anyone had brought up the idea of a redistricting amendment,” he said.
“I’m running here, period,” he added. “I’m doing this to represent my neighbors and will not be ‘shopping’ for the most advantageous district in which to run.”
The proposed district stems from a redistricting amendment voters approved April 21 by about a three-point margin. Election officials told The Center Square that certification of the results depends on a pending ruling from the Virginia Supreme Court.
Under state law, the State Board of Elections is required to certify results within 14 days of a special election, setting a May 5 deadline for the April 21 vote.
However, a court injunction currently blocks certification.
A State Board of Elections meeting scheduled for May 1 includes certification of the redistricting referendum as an agenda item. The document states the item is contingent on a final decision by the Virginia Supreme Court and may be removed.
The Department of Elections said whether certification occurs on that date or later depends on when the court issues a final ruling and what that ruling states.
The uncertainty comes as candidates begin positioning themselves for potential new districts that have not yet been finalized.
Ollivant has begun campaigning and securing endorsements from local Republican officials. His campaign has emphasized issues including economic policy, national security and government accountability.
The proposed 7th District would include a mix of suburban and rural communities, making it a potentially competitive seat depending on final boundaries.
Candidates from both parties have begun positioning themselves as the map remains unresolved.
By Scott McCaffrey
The first Republican contender in the redrawn 7th Congressional District made his pitch to Arlington Republicans this week.
Douglas Ollivant, a Culpeper County resident and managing partner of a strategic consulting firm, is for now the only announced candidate in the 7th District as approved by voters on April 21, although more could be on the way.
The new 7th, known as the “lobster district” for its shape, starts in Arlington and then moves west and southwest through suburban, exurban and eventually rural areas. Under the redrawn districts, no incumbent member of Congress currently lives within its boundaries.
With approximately a dozen Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for the 7th District seat, Ollivant predicted a “very, very bloody primary” on the Democratic side.
“We do have that to look forward to,” he said.
Ollivant said he is running on three focus areas: manufacturing, healthy food and energy abundance.
“We need to manufacture key materials, so we can be sure to have them in a crisis,” Ollivant said at the monthly meeting of the Arlington County Republican Committee on Monday.
On the topic of healthy living, Ollivant said there were major policy implications.
“We are broke [as a nation] because we are sick,” he said. “Good food leads to good health.”
If the new congressional districts survive court challenges, about 60% of the northern part of Arlington will shift into the new 7th District. The southernmost part of the county will remain in the 8th District.
Whichever incarnation of the 11-district congressional map is ultimately in play this year, voters will select party nominees in an Aug. 4 primary. The general election is Nov. 3.
The redrawn 7th District leans Democratic; Kamala Harris won the vote among its residents by about 8% in 2024 and Abigail Spanberger won by nearly 17% in 2025, according to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP). Those living within the redrawn 8th District, which meanders from South Arlington south to the Williamsburg area, voted for Harris by a margin of about 17.5% and for Spanberger by about 26%, according to VPAP data.
Ollivant lived in Falls Church before moving southwest to the Culpeper area, more than an hour’s drive outside of Arlington. He spent a half-hour before the Republican committee meeting introducing himself to some of the 50-plus attendees.
Arlington Republican chair Matthew Hurtt said all prospective contenders will be provided with five-minute speaking stints before the committee in coming months.
“We are happy to give candidates the opportunity,” he said.
Republicans typically only garner 20% to 25% of the vote among the Arlington electorate, sometimes less. Hurtt pressed the party rank-and-file to get engaged early this year to give congressional candidates a shot at winning in November.
“It only happens when you show up and do it,” he said of party outreach efforts.
Ollivant said that if the Virginia Supreme Court throws out the new districts, he lives in the boundaries of the current 7th District and would run against incumbent Democrat Eugene Vindman.
If the districts are rejected by the Supreme Court, all of Arlington would return to the 8th District, where it has been since 1992. Incumbent Democrat Don Beyer is seeking re-election in the new 8th and will also run in the 8th if the previous district boundaries are used.
At the April 27 meeting, Hurtt — recently re-elected to a new two-year term as party chair — sounded less than fully optimistic that the referendum would be overturned.
“Precedent is probably not on our side, but we’ll see how it goes,” he said.
First Thing Today with Joe Thomas
Doug Ollivant speaks with Joe Thomas about trying to flip a blue seat.
Doug Ollivant, Republican candidate for the Seventh Congressional District of Virginia, issued the following statement after allegations of impropriety were raised against Eugene Vindman using his franking privileges for political purposes: April 15, 2026.
“It appears that Rep Yevegny “Eugene” Vindman has illegally abused his office’s ability to mail constituents about federal issues to instead electioneer in a state referendum.
These allegations are a serious matter. They fit a pattern of waste, fraud, and abuse. Vindman should be immediately investigated by both the Congress and federal law enforcement, with exposed violations prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
No one has the right to abuse the public trust for private political gain.”
Doug Ollivant is a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, combat veteran, and Republican candidate for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. A husband, father of seven, and national security expert with service at the National Security Council and West Point, he is running for Congress to restore fiscal responsibility, strengthen national security, and deliver common-sense solutions for Virginia families, with a focus on manufacturing, good food as a key to health, and energy abundance.
Doug Ollivant, Republican for Congress (VA-07), introduces himself and the problems he’ll try to solve in the 7th district.
Culpeper Star-Exponent
Mar 5, 2026
Allison Brophy Champion
Local Republican leaders are lining up to endorse Doug Ollivant for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.
Del. Karen Hamilton, R-Orange, said in a statement she is proud to support the “fellow patriot and America First fighter.”
“Virginia is uniquely impacted by nearly every decision made in Washington, which is why it is critical that we elect bold Representatives who uphold the true conservative values stated in our Virginia Republican Creed. I’m confident that Doug will do this and put Virginians FIRST in Congress as he stands firmly with President Trump and his America First agenda,” Hamilton said in a post.
“Doug has dedicated his life to ensuring the security of our nation, and he is well equipped to defend the rights and liberties of Virginians in Washington.”
Ollivant in a statement said he was also deeply honored to receive an endorsement from Virginia State Senator Bryce Reeves, R-Orange, as well as Culpeper County Supervisors Keith Farrish and Tom Underwood.
“Their trust and confidence mean a great deal to me. This campaign has always been about the people of Virginia — about listening, showing up, and working tirelessly to represent every corner of the district,” the candidate said in a statement.
Culpeper County 2A this week hosted Ollivant for a meet-and-greet at Grill 309 on Main Street.
By Allison Brophy Champion
An Iraq Army veteran from Culpeper is in the running for Virginia’s 7th District in the U.S. House, even as the district could be changing shape again.
Republican Douglas Ollivant is seeking the congressional office based on his perception of the current state of affairs.
“We’re definitely in a period of crisis,” he said in a Feb. 12 sit-down interview at The Raven’s Nest on East Davis Street, when asked why he is running for office for the first time.
“The economy isn’t working for a lot of people. We’re deeply in debt, lots of systems don’t seem to be working, and I thought we need better leadership in Washington.”
Ollivant said he is not impressed with incumbent Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-7th.
A fellow Army veteran who also served in Iraq, Vindman is serving his first term in the U.S. House, representing a district that includes Culpeper, with its center, and reaches north to his home in Dale City and east to Fredericksburg.
Vindman recently announced he would not run for reelection in November in the 7th District, which, per the proposed Democrat redistricting maps, would draw him out of it while reaching into a part of Fairfax, all the way to the Potomac River. The incumbent is apparently confident the maps will pass at the voter referendum in April, placing him in the new 1st District, for which Vidman announced his candidacy earlier this month.
In addition to his time in the military, Ollivant worked at the White House with the National Security Council in 2008-09, under former President George W. Bush; Vindman did as well, 10 years later in the first Trump administration, making a name for himself, along with his twin brother Alexander, running for Congress in Florida.
Being in the Army prepares one for elected office through organizational skills and being around people from all walks of life, Ollivant said.
“For the 7th District in particular, it’s such a military and veteran-heavy district that it’s a real asset. There’s been a demand signal here,” he said of local politicians also being military members. “In other districts, you don’t see as many veterans running. We’re unique in that sense.”
Asked how he would advocate for veterans in the U.S. House, Ollivant referenced allowing disabled veterans to receive both full disability and retirement pay—even those with less than 20 years’ service.
As it is now, one is subtracted from the other for those who retire after less than 20 years, the candidate said.
“It needs to get fixed quickly especially with a lot of our post 9/11 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Ollivant said. “If they were sergeants with eight or nine years and 100% disability and then were medically retired they’re only drawing one of those two pays…They’ve earned retirement pay, they’re entitled to their disability pay and it doesn’t make sense that one is subtracted from the other.”
Born and raised in rural Oregon, Ollivant left home at age 17 to attend Wheaton College in the Chicago suburbs, receiving a degree in politics before entering the Army.
“We were poor, we couldn’t afford college otherwise, so the Army paid for me to go to school,” Ollivant said of why he joined the military.
He said he grew up on a 10-acre farm, raising sheep and a few steers, and that his father was a tree worker. As an infantry officer, Ollivant said he served two tours in Iraq, earned graduate degrees, taught politics at West Point, and then served a tour at the White House.
“I was there (in Iraq) during some of the worst times. I was on the ground in 2004 and 2005, some major battles, Najaf Cemetery, Second Fallujah, saw some things I would rather have not seen,” he said, asked what it was like.
He returned to Iraq in 2006 and 2007 as a chief planner for the Baghdad surge. Managing the large-scale operation was more stressful and challenging than being on the ground in combat, he said.
Ollivant moved his family to Culpeper from Northern Virginia in 2020. He is married with two grandchildren and seven grown children living around the country, including his youngest, a senior at James Madison University, joining the Army in the spring.
“I wanted to semi-retire. I thought this was going to be a place where I could get away from the rush of greater Washington, was there for a while, in Falls Church for four years and then kept moving further and further out for better quality of life,” he said.
For the last dozen years, Ollivant has been managing partner of Mantid International, a global consulting firm focusing on defense work. He lives on riverfront land on the banks of the Rappahannock in Kelly’s Ford, on the county’s northern end.
“I thought I was going to be raising my dogs, feeding my chickens, trying to grow vegetables, getting better at the composting, then I woke up and Eugene Vindman was my congressman, and I just found that unacceptable and unimpressed with his record,” the candidate said.
“I don’t think he is a good fit for the district. I think if it weren’t for Google maps he’d have a hard time finding Greene or Caroline counties. He doesn’t understand Virginia, just barely lives here, so decided I needed to get in the race.”
Friday, Vindman joined community members and police in Stafford, Culpeper, Caroline and Madison to celebrate funding for local law enforcement. Thursday, he was in Greene and Orange counties for the announcement of grants for public water and school improvements.
In his spare time, Ollivant said he reads a lot and spends time with his dog, Cocoa, a shelter dog who’s half Norwegian elk hound and part coon hound.
Ollivant is running on a three-point platform that includes regenerative agriculture.
“We should be helping our local farmers grow good, solid food absent petrochemicals and be able to do direct to consumer sales with much less regulation,” he said. “Get the middlemen out of the way. That brings down food costs and then we can all eat better.”
The candidate is also campaigning on “the responsible industrialization of Virginia.”
“Responsible is the key word—we don’t want to be dropping factories in the middle of a farm fields,” Ollivant said. “But we’ve seen since President Trump’s first term an emphasis on we need to build things here again.
“It starts with the defense industries…all the small pieces and parts of the major defense items. When you are drilling down, there’s a lot of Chinese content there and we’re trying to eliminate that over time.”
The candidate’s third campaign point is “a policy of energy abundance.”
“We’re paying way too much for power, probably twice the kilowatt what the Chinese do and it’s mostly a supply demand equation, there’s just not enough power in the grid. We need immediately more natural gas plants.”
He advocated developing “modular nuclear” for data centers to eliminate high-voltage power lines and said he’s all for solar where it makes sense, adding, “Turning hundreds of acres of agricultural land into solar fields does not.”
He called for sensible regulation of data center development, with facilities not located next to battlefields or large housing developments.
Asked about inflation and the economy, Ollivant said it’s a matter of holding prices steady while wages catch up.
“That’s where we need to focus—getting better jobs that can better afford everything they need,” he said, adding, “It doesn’t help those on fixed incomes. We need to make sure seniors are taken care as the economy transitions.”
Ollivant said the U.S. “absolutely need to maintain the status quo of Social Security” benefits for millions of older Americans.
“My father in law lives with us so I am painfully aware of the struggles seniors are going through so we need to maintain that contract,” he said. “The way we maintain that contract is to grow the economy faster that’s why I am talking about manufacturing renaissance, power, etc.”
Several other Republicans have announced plans to run in the 7th District including State Sen. Tara Durant of Fredericksburg, John Gray, Darius Mayfield, Jacob Roginsky and Alex Thymmons, Virginia Public Access Project reports.
The slate of candidates could change with the pending redistricting process and referendum, announced after the interview with Ollivant and in flux.
VPAP still lists Vindman as the Democratic candidate in the 7th along with Matthew Rainworth. Ollivant said at the interview earlier this month he is the candidate best positioned to beat Vindman.
“I’ve got the background where I can be a real active advocate for the 7th district. Not just a party line voter, be a real leader in Congress, push forward policies that are good for the 7th District of Virginia and America.”
The Republican candidate said the 7th District is competitive, asked if a Republican could win it.
The proposed new congressional maps would make the 7th over 55% Democratic voters, based on past elections, according to the VPAP analysis.
Ollivant thinks he can win it.
“I’m the local candidate here from the western counties. No one else in the race is from this side of the district to my knowledge everyone else is on the I-95 corridor so I like to think I’m the hometown boy,” he said. “My biggest selling point is I’m the guy with the resume to beat Eugene Vindman. I’ve seen people like him before. I could beat him.”
