Daniel Gade
Bio | Daniel Gade is an Army veteran who served in the US military for over 20 years. After being severely wounded in combat, he decided to continue his education, earning a Master of Public Administration and a PhD in public administration and policy. Since 2011, he has been teaching university students, first at West Point and then at American University, where he is now a professor. |
Status and Position | Former Candidate of N/A |
Political Party and Jurisdiction | Republican, N/A |
Elections | Election Jurisdiction | Started Campaign | Campaign Status | Poll Rankings (of the vote) |
| 2020 Senate Election Virginia 1 | Virginia 1 | Yes | Running | 39.0% |
Campaign Financing | Gade has raised money largely through individual donors (and is supported by several Republican-leaning PACs), but he has barely more than 1% of the cash-on-hand of incumbent Mark Warner. |
Voting Rights | Gade has largely remained silent on voting rights, though his campaign website does include a link for Virginians to sign up for absentee ballots. |
Opinions on Issues
Issues | Stance | Summary |
| Universal Healthcare | Against | Gade does not support universal healthcare. Gade does not see a Medicare for All as feasible healthcare reform. He would like to limit government's role in the healthcare system. |
| Socialized Healthcare | Against | Gade opposes socialized healthcare and has criticized Warner over his votes to expand it. |
| Private Healthcare | For | Gade is a proponent of the free market and free enterprise, and thus supports private healthcare over government-run insurance. |
| LGBT Rights | Against | Gade has opposed workplace protections for LGBT employees. Despite being nominated for the EEOC, Gade states that he disagrees with sexual orientation and gender identity being protected categories under employment discrimination law. |
| Taxes | Against | Gade calls for lower taxes to promote economic growth. On his campaign platform, Gade claims that lowering individual and business taxes are the best way to promote a free market system and economic growth. |
| Flat Tax Rate | For | Gade has advocated for a flat tax rate, saying "The closer we can get to a flat, understandable tax, or a very simplified tax code that people can understand and explain to each other, the more fair it will be. On his campaign platform, Gade claims that lowering individual and business taxes are the best way to promote a free market system and economic growth. |
| Abortion | Against | Gade sticks largely to the Republican party line: outlawing abortion in most cases Gade distinguished his position on abortion in the Republican primary for the seat, hoping to draw a contrast with Mark Warner, by saying that he opposed abortion in most cases. |
| Gun Control | Against | He advocates for the unrestricted right to bear arms. On his platform, Gade supports the "right to protect ourselves by keeping and bearing arms" among the civil rights that government must protect. |
| Assisted Suicide | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on assisted suicide. On his platform, Gade supports the "right to protect ourselves by keeping and bearing arms" among the civil rights that government must protect. |
| Government Interference | Against | Gade argues for a limited government, and one that should stay out of most business and other affairs. |
| Planned Parenthood | Against | Gade has stated that Planned Parenthood should cease receiving any funding from the federal government. |
| Welfare | Against | Gade has advocated against welfare for many years, even before running. While he worked in Veterans Affairs, Gade advocated against welfare for veterans, instead supporting money meant to get veterans working again. |
| Welfare | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on stem cell research. |
| Death Penalty | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on the death penalty. N/A |
| Mandatory Prison Sentence | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on mandatory minimum prison sentences. |
| Military Spending | For | One of Gade's defining policies is to maintain a strong national defense. |
| War on Terrorism | Against | However, Gade opposes the war on terror, supports pulling troops out of the Middle East, saying that the US should not be playing "terrorist whack-a-mole" around the world. |
| Foreign Policy International Interaction | Against | Gade supports a non-interventionist foreign policy. Like his military policy, Gade does not support the US taking any major roles in the affairs of other countries. |
| United Nations power | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on the United Nations. |
| Nationalism | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on nationalism. |
| Free Markets | For | Gade supports free markets and opposes government intervention. Gade is very unsupportive of government intervention. He believes that a free market will incentivize investment and entrepreneurship. |
| Brexit | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on Brexit. |
| Affirmative Action | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on affirmative action. |
| Government Spending | Against | Gade supports zero-based budgeting, which would restrict any government spending which doesn't have a set way to pay for it. |
| Charter Schools | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on charter schools. |
| Common Core | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on the Common Core. N/A |
| Clean Energy | Unknown | Gade does not have a public stance yet on clean energy. N/A |
| Religious Freedom | For | Gade emphasizes that he supports religious liberty. Among the civil rights that Gade lists as most important to him is the right to practice one's own religion. |
| Separation of Church and State | Nuance | Gade has stated that the separation of church and state means separating the state from religious activities, but not removing religious speech/actions from government. |
| Slavery Reparations | Unknown | He does not have a public position yet on slavery reparations |
| Border Control | Unknown | Gade does not have any stances on immigration, besides that the government has handled it badly. While Gade has criticized Congress for being slow to act on immigration, he has not made his own policies clear. |
| Passenger Profiling | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on such profiling. |
| DACA | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on DACA. |
| Sanctuary Cities | Against | Gade supports defunding sanctuary cities. |
| Legalizing Marijuana | Unknown | He does not have a public stance yet on marijuana. |