David Williams, a Marine veteran launches Virginia Senate race to unseat Mark Warner

David Williams, a Virginia Republican launched his Senate campaign Tuesday. He will be challenging Sen. Mark Warner(D-VA) at the midterm elections in 2026.

Williams is running for Senator as a Republican who supports President Donald Trump despite the fact that the GOP has lost the governorship after Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger was elected over Lt. Governor. Winsome-Sears(R-VA).

The Democrats gained 64 seats in the House of Delegates after starting Election Day with 51 seats.

In an interview with The Washington Examiner, Williams stressed the need for new leadership in Virginia after many years of Democratic Senators in office.

Williams stated, “We must have a leadership that listens to Virginians and makes sure they fight for Virginia and represent Virginia.” Williams said, “I’m prepared to continue serving my country with all the years I have served.”

Williams, in a 90-second introduction video to Virginians, highlighted his background as a Navy, Marine Corps, former State Department official and a CIA officer. Williams, who has served in the military for over 30 years, calls Reston his home.

“Serving abroad makes you appreciate America’s incredibleness, and I wanted to fight for it that much more.” Williams stated in the video that we are fighting for our country’s future. “From out of control crime to imposing radical trans agendas on our children, to taking our freedoms away, the far-Left eats away at what makes America great.”

Williams, a Republican black, seems to be following Earle-Sears’ lead, who ran a campaign against transgender issues. Virginians, however, rejected the message of the lieutenant-governor in favor Spanberger who ran with a focus on restoring Virginia’s economy under Trump.

Williams will face a difficult environment in his bid to unseat Warner. A former Virginia governor, Warner has been a senator since 2009. The Virginia Public Access Project reports that Warner had almost $13.4 millionin his campaign funds as of June 2025. Sabato Crystal Ball, a University of Virginia project, rates the seat “Safe Democrat” and Cook Political Report rates it as “Solid Democrat“.

In 2024, Hung Cao (a Navy veteran and Republican) was defeated by his fellow Sen. Tim Caine. Cao was later appointed as Undersecretary for the Navy by Trump in February.

Williams, speaking about Warner’s uphill battle against Williams, said that Virginians wanted someone who would listen to them and represent them. “I believe that this is not happening at the moment, and we are going to change that.”

Williams said that the economy was Virginians’ top concern ahead of this month’s gubernatorial elections. He claimed it would be the key message strategy in his campaign.

He said: “We must create a Virginia where everyone can feel that they are able to move forward, advance and live the American Dream.” “And that’s where we plan to focus,” he said. This is our top priority: to cut the out-of control spending we see from Democrats, and to give tax relief to the people who need it.

Trump did not give Earle-Sears an endorsement in full during the gubernatorial elections, but Williams seems more optimistic that he’ll do better with Trump.

Williams said, “I hope that the President of the United States will endorse us.” “My main goal is to make sure that I represent Virginians as a representative they can be proud of,” Williams said.

Virginia’s 2026 primaries will be held in June. Williams will compete against Kim Farington, who is a Republican from Northern Virginia and Bryce Reeves, the state senator, for the Republican Senate nomination.

Williams emphasized that his service of more than 30 years to the country would help him beat his Republican opponents.

He said, “I love America and I know we have the best days ahead, but we need the right leadership.” “So that’s what I do.”