Eddie Garcia

"I have the experience of leading in difficult situations and accomplishing the mission. I served 22 years in US Military, and I’ve experienced the impacts of the failure of politics and the decline of our nation’s standing in the world. And unlike some, I believe that America has a bright future ahead of it, if the right leaders are elected. I’ve worked, with lawmakers and policy experts to pass legislation that protects our veterans, enhances our military, and supports our Gold Star Families. I know how the system works and I can pass legislation that works for all Americans. I have experienced the hardship of living on a centralized government healthcare system. I have the experience of navigating the complexities of our immigration system when my wife Veronica became a naturalized citizen. I have the experience of serving and fighting in warzones and areas of conflict with no plan for victory from our political leaders. Growing up near the Rio Grande Valley, I’ve experienced first-hand the effects of poor immigrations policy."

"I am a Catholic Christian dedicating myself to the principles of my faith daily as a husband, a father, a neighbor, a church volunteer, and a community leader. My faith teaches me to care for the poor, shelter the homeless, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty and to love my neighbor as myself. Our political leaders have sown division in our country for far too long. As your Senator, I will support focused programs targeted to lift families from poverty, reduce the unhoused, provide healthy food and nutrition options for children, and invest in clean, drinkable water. And those who disagree with me on the issues, I will treat them with love and respect. It’s time to bring back kindness, compassion and forgiveness to our country."

"The nuclear family is the bedrock of our society. Sadly, our political class have made it increasingly difficult to start a family and raise children. As a conservative, I will fight to conserve the nuclear family and the future generations of American families. As your senator, I will increase the child tax credit to lessen the financial burden of raising children. I will expand and increase adoption services to families who want but are unable to have children. I will pass laws that make it more difficult for corporations to fire their employees and send their jobs overseas. As your senator, we will rebuild the American family and make the American dream achievable and affordable for all Americans."

"Community is extremely important to me. A strong, vibrant community is vital to the fabric of our country. I have dedicated my life as a servant of our country and our local community. First as a soldier in the US Army, then as an advocate for the most vulnerable veterans here in Virginia, as a board member of the Northern Virginia Veterans Association. As the Vice President of the Virginia Gateway Lions Club, my family and I worked to improve the eyesight and hearing of low-income families in our neighborhoods. My wife, my daughters and I volunteer to serve food banks, youth ministries and faith formation programs all throughout Virginia. I promise you that my service as your next United States Senator will be focused on what is best for our communities across the Commonwealth."

"I believe the measure of a nation is how it treats its most vulnerable. I shudder to think about how future generations will judge us on the poor treatment of our most vulnerable people. We can do better. I will fight to expand maternity care, increase crisis pregnancy centers and invest in our children’s future by increasing the federal child tax credit. I will also work to pass legislation that increases access to adoption, ensures children growing up in low-income communities have access to healthy foods and that our elderly can grow old and retire with the dignity and respect they deserve."

"Veterans are truly the 1 percent. These are the men and women who volunteer to put their lives on the line for the whole nation and they deserve our admiration and our respect. They also deserve the care and the basic necessities that they were promised. I have been an advocate for veterans across the commonwealth from the moment I left the Army. I started a tech company focused on rapidly connecting veterans to the transition services that they need most. I will never turn my back on our veterans because I know first-hand the strength and resilience it takes from an entire military family to support and defend our constitution from enemies around the world. As your senator, I will never play political games with our veterans, their families, or their rightful benefits. To all the veterans: I will stand for you, always, because you’ve always stood for us."

"The Rights enshrined in our Constitution are non-negotiable. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to assemble and petition our government apply to everyone regardless of race, creed, gender, or ethnicity. The Right to bear arms, the Right to unreasonable search, the Right to due process, the Right to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law and the Right to vote apply to everyone regardless of race, creed, gender or ethnicity. These Rights and many more in our constitution are under constant attack by those who would silence their opposition through the force of corporate and government power. I will work every single day to ensure that Rights bestowed on all citizens remain for all citizens."

"A quality education is key to escaping poverty. Our education system was once the standard that all other countries sought to achieve. Now, the US is ranked 11th out of the top 79 countries worldwide. We are spending more and we’re getting less. I support good teachers and the need for high-performing public schools, but the power must always reside with parents. We need a robust education system with sound principles, free from political agendas and definitely with parental involvement. We need an education system that focuses on the priorities of the future, in medicine, in technology and in finance, so our children are prepared for the world ahead."

"We need unity and civility back in our political discourse. The current political class has turned working people from the same neighborhoods and communities against one another and that’s no way to live. As Americans, we have much more that unites us than divides us, but the media, large corporations, and politicians all tell us otherwise, because they benefit from our division. I will restore civility to our politics."

"I favor term limits and have pledged to co-sponsor legislation that limits senators to two terms. Incumbents win nearly 90% of all elections, and they win at such high rates because they spend their entire time in public office raising money while you and I spend our time working for our families and our future. They spend two years in the House of Representatives and six years in the Senate raising money, getting a two-year or six-year head start on anyone else who is a regular person and not independently wealthy. That’s an unfair, rigged system. I will fight for term limits and provide an opportunity for regular people to represent the working class of this nation."

"The biggest obstacle to affordable housing is the lack of housing supply. One of the main reasons for this lack of supply is the amount of excessive time it takes for local and state governments to approve housing developments. As Senator, I will do three things to solve this problem and increase access to affordable housing. First, I will expand the low income tax credit for affordable housing, which doesn’t punish recipients from seeking higher incomes and better employment as other programs do. Second, I will introduce a bill that takes $2 billion of the nearly $4 billion currently designated for community development block grants in the Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, and require that that money be spent specifically on affordable housing developments, all across the nation. Third, with the creation of this new fund. I will stipulate that the funds will only be released if the state and local governments can fast track affordable housing developments within a 24-month time frame."

"I will introduce legislation that eliminates all taxes on retirement account for America’s seniors. Furthermore, I will also introduce legislation that restricts state governments from taxing the primary residence of Americans 65 and older. Too many seniors living on a fixed income can’t afford to retire with dignity in their own home because inflation, increases in taxes, higher energy costs. I will make it easier for our seniors to retire with dignity and keep their homes."