Endorsed Candidates

Dr. Rich McCormick – Georgia CD-06

Dr. Rich McCormick served over 20 years in the Marine Corps and Navy. He served in combat zones across Africa, the Persian Gulf, and Afghanistan. As a Marine, he flew helicopters and taught as a Marine Officer Instructor. While he was in the Navy, he served as the Department Head for the Emergency Medicine Department in Afghanistan. He has continued his work as an emergency medicine physician at Gwinnett Medical Center and Northside Hospital in Georgia. McCormick has shown his leadership skills and ability to work under pressure through his roles as a decorated Marine Helicopter Pilot and as an emergency physician. McCormick is dedicated to providing tax relief for middle class Americans, encouraging business growth and job creation, and protecting American families. 

Rich is a graduate from the Morehouse School of Medicine as well as National University in California, where he earned his MBA. Rich lives in Suwanee, Georgia with his wife Debra and their seven children.

Don Bacon – Nebraska CD-02

Congressman Don Bacon served in the US Air Force for nearly 30 years. Congressman Bacon specialized in electronic warfare, intelligence and reconnaissance during his service. Congressman Bacon retired from the US Air Force in 2014 as a Brigadier General, having been awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, five Meritorious Service Medals, two Legion of Merits, two Bronze Medals, and the Aerial Achievement Medal.

Congressman Bacon began his political career as the military advisor to Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (NE-01). In 2016, Congressman Bacon won a tightly contested election against Democratic incumbent Brad Ashford to the US House of Representatives in Nebraska’s 2nd congressional district. Congressman Bacon serves on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Agricultural Committee.

Jim Banks – Indiana CD-03

Congressman Jim Banks currently serves as a Supply Corps Officer in the US Navy Reserves and has served since 2012. In 2014 and 2015, he took a leave of absence from the Indiana State Senate to deploy to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and Freedom’s Sentinel. He has an extensive record of leading and supporting military and veterans affairs initiatives and has been recognized by the National Federation of Independent Business and FreedomWorks for his dedication to economic and personal liberty.

Banks served in the Indiana State Senate from 2010 to 2016, in which time he chaired the Senate Veterans Affairs and Military Committee and advocated for pro-growth, pro-family and pro-veteran reforms. In 2016, Banks was elected to Congress to represent Indiana’s Third Congressional District and was reelected in 2018. He chairs the Republican Study Committee’s Budget & Spending Task Force, co-chairs the House Armed Services Committee’s Future of Defense Task Force and sits on the Naval Academy’s Board of Visitors.

Rick Brattin - Missouri CD-04

After the September 11 terrorist attacks, Rick Brattin joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served for six years as a non-commissioned officer, rising through the ranks to sergeant. He grew up in Greenwood, Missouri, and graduated from Lee’s Summit High School. He was elected in 2020 to represent Missouri’s 31st Senate District. A former auditor of Cass County, he previously served Missouri’s 55th House District as its State Representative for four terms, from 2010-2018. During his time in the House, he served as majority floor whip and chaired the Special Committee on Government Oversight. In addition, he was the senior member of both the Veterans and the Local Government committees.

Brattin has owned and operated a small construction company and maintains a 40-acre farm in central Cass County, north of Harrisonville. He and his wife reside in Harrisonville and have five kids.

Dan Crenshaw – Texas CD-02

Congressman Dan Crenshaw earned his Naval officer commission through Navy ROTC upon his graduation from Tufts University. Crenshaw immediately reported to, and graduated from, SEAL training and joined SEAL Team THREE in Fallujah, Iraq for his first of five deployments overseas. Crenshaw deployed for his third time to Afghanistan in 2012. Six months into his deployment, Crenshaw was hit by an IED blast during a combat operation. His right eye had been destroyed in the blast and his left eye was badly damaged. After several surgeries, Crenshaw miraculously regained sight in his left eye and went on to deploy twice more overseas.

After ten years of service in the SEAL Teams, Congressman Crenshaw was medically retired in September of 2016 as a Lieutenant Commander. Crenshaw was elected to represent Texas’ Second Congressional District in 2018. He has served on the Homeland Security Committee and the Budget Committee, and was named Ranking Member of the Oversight, Management, and Accountability Subcommittee of the Homeland Security Committee. He is dedicated to border and port security, disaster relief funding, cutting needless government spending and prudent fiscal policy.

Nick De Gregorio – New Jersey CD-05

When Nick DeGregorio was 16, he lived in New Jersey, just 12 miles from Ground Zero, so the terrorist attacks of September 11 literally hit close to home. He and his classmates could hear the fighter jets scrambling to respond as the World Trade Towers collapsed. It was then that he vowed he would volunteer to fight for his country. Over the course of nine years, serving as a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer, he was deployed four times—to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

DeGregorio and his wife have two children and are raising them in the same sort of tight-knit community setting they were afforded when they themselves were children in northern New Jersey. A Bergen County native, Degregorio is raising his family in Fair Lawn.

Joni Ernst – Iowa Senate

Senator Joni Ernst joined Iowa State University’s ROTC program and began her service in the US Army Reserve upon graduating. As a logistics officer, Ernst achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Iowa National Guard. Ernst served a 14 month deployment in Kuwait where she commanded the 1168th Transportation Company in the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Near the end of her military career, Ernst served as the commanding officer of the 185th Combat Sustainment Battalion at Camp Dodge. Ernst retired from the military in 2015 after 23 years of service in the US Army.

Ernst was first elected to public office as Montgomery County Auditor in 2004, and was later elected to the Iowa State Senate in 2011. Ernst became the first woman to represent Iowa in the US House or Senate when she won the Senate race in 2014. Ernst serves on the US Senate Armed Services; Environment and Public Works; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Small Business and Administration; and Judiciary Committees. Ernst was unopposed in the Republican primary and faces Democratic nominee Theresa Greenfield in the 2020 election.

Wesley Hunt – Texas CD-38

Upon graduation from St. John’s School in Houston, Texas, Wesley Hunt accepted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. In 2004, he received his commission in the U.S. Army and graduated with a B.S. in leadership and management with a field of study in mechanical engineering. Hunt then spent eight years as an Aviation Branch Officer and AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army. Hunt’s service included one combat deployment to Iraq and two diplomatic deployments to Saudi Arabia. While in Saudi Arabia, he served as a liaison officer representing the U.S. government in missions involving the Royal Saudi Land Forces Aviation Corps.

Upon completion of his military service, Hunt attended Cornell University and earned an MBA degree, a master of public administration degree, and a master of industrial and labor relations degree. Hunt and his wife are raising two daughters. 

Tyler Kistner – Minnesota CD-02

Right after graduating from college, Tyler Kistner commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He served nine years on active duty, primarily in the elite Marine Special Operations Forces unit known as the Marine Raiders. He was deployed overseas four times, and he advanced rapidly through the ranks to command over 500 U.S. and partner-nation personnel on many counterterrorism and counter-China/Russia operations. Kistner had command and control of Special Operations programs totaling over $100 million in funding and assets.

After nine years of active duty, Kistner transitioned to the Marine reserves so that he and his wife could move back home to Minnesota, where they now are raising their daughter and son in Prior Lake.

Morgan Luttrell – Texas CD-08

After graduating from Sam Houston State University, Morgan Luttrell enlisted in the U.S. Navy to become a Navy SEAL. Luttrell excelled in everything from SEAL training to Officer Candidate School. He served multiple combat deployments and led troops as a Naval Special Warfare Officer. In 2009, Luttrell survived a helicopter crash that left him with a broken back and a traumatic brain injury. In spite of this, Luttrell rehabilitated, recovered, and returned to the frontline. After a 14-year military career, Luttrell retired from the Navy and began to apply his knowledge and skills to helping his fellow veterans recover from PTSD and traumatic brain injuries. He earned an advanced degree in applied cognition and neuroscience at the University of Texas at Dallas and created an innovative health and wellness platform to help veterans heal from physical and psychological injuries.

Luttrell teaches law enforcement leadership as an adjunct instructor at Sam Houston State University, he runs a successful small business, and he and his wife are raising their two sons in Montgomery County.

Congressman Brian Mast served in the US Army for 12 years, earning medals including The Bronze Star Medal, The Army Commendation Medal for Valor, The Purple Heart Medal, and The Defense Meritorious Service Medal. While serving as a bomb disposal expert under the Joint Special Operations Command in Afghanistan, an improvised explosive device detonated and resulted in devastating injuries, including the loss of both of his legs. Following his injuries, Mast remained on Active Duty and provided expertise to the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms.

After retiring from the Army, Mast worked as an Explosive Specialist with the Department of Homeland Security and later received a degree from Harvard University. In 2016, Mast defeated five primary opponents before winning the general election to Florida’s 18th Congressional District. Mast won reelection in 2018 and has since been a stalwart proponent of military and veterans affairs.

Congressman Scott Perry began his military career in 1980 by enlisting in the Pennsylvania National Guard. The Congressman graduated Pennsylvania’s Officer Candidate School and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Field Artillery branch of the US Army. He soon branch-transferred to Army Aviation, where he earned qualifications in nearly every rotary-wing aircraft in the Army inventory. He commanded the 2-104th General Support Aviation Battalion and flew 44 combat missions in the Battalion’s deployment to Iraq in 2009 – 2010.

Congressman Perry was first elected to Pennsylvania’s 4th Congressional District in 2013, and earned re-election to the redistricted 10th Congressional District in 2018. In 2019, after nearly 40 years of military service, Perry retired from his position as Assistant Adjutant General at the Pennsylvania National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters. Congressman Perry serves in the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Derrick Van Orden – Wisconsin CD-03

Derrick Van Orden joined the Navy at the age of 18 and served for 26 years. He retired as a Navy SEAL Senior Chief with five combat deployments and several others to troubled regions. His first combat deployment was to Bosnia Herzegovina immediately following the signing of the Dayton Accords. Van Orden served on multiple combat tours to Afghanistan and Iraq. He also served in the Horn of Africa, Asia, Europe, South America, and Central America. In 2012, he planned Special Operations contingency operations for the European Continent. Van Orden became involved in acting during his military service when he starred in the motion picture Act of Valor. He is also a best-selling author of the book A Book of Man: A Navy SEAL’s Guide to the Lost Art of Manhood.

After retirement, Van Orden applied his leadership skills in the private sector to consult with Fortune 500 companies until he and his wife retired to their farm near Hager City, Wisconsin, and reopened the village café. Following this, Van Orden started attending law school.

Michael Waltz – Florida CD-06

Congressman Michael Waltz is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and served more than 20 years in the US Army. Waltz was selected for the Green Berets upon graduating Ranger School and has served in multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa. Waltz continued his public service as defense policy director for Secretaries of Defense Rumsfeld and Gates and as Vice President Dick Cheney’s counterterrorism advisor.

Waltz later co-founded a small business and grew it into a multinational corporation with more than 400 employees. As a business owner, Waltz saw first-hand the effects of President Obama’s over-regulation of small-businesses and has since been a strong supporter of tax relief and deregulation. After decades of public service and experience in the private sector, Waltz was elected to Florida’s 6th Congressional District in 2018.