Eugene Vindman

Democrat

In OfficeUS House · District 7 RunningUS House · District 7 · Democratic Primary

About

Eugene Vindman is a father, husband, immigrant, and veteran running to serve the communities of Virginia's 7th Congressional District in the Halls of Congress. Eugene came to America with his father, brothers, and grandmother when he was just four years old. Together they had less than $800 to their name. Eugene dedicated his life to serving America, the country that gave his family so much. For 25 years, Eugene served in uniform under Presidents of both parties as an Infantry Officer in the 82nd Airborne, a Military Prosecutor, and an advisor at the White House National Security Council. After serving across the county and around the globe, Eugene and his wife Cindy, an Army Reservist, have spent nearly a decade in the Commonwealth raising their two kids Max and Madi in Prince William County.

Meet Eugene Vindman

Eugene Vindman was born in Soviet Ukraine to a Jewish family during the height of the Cold War. When he was three years old, his mother died of cancer and his father Seymon fled from the bigoted, authoritarian regime with Eugene, his twin brother Alex, their older brother Len, and their Grandmother. Eugene's family arrived in New York City as refugees on Christmas Eve, 1979 with just $759 to their name, but with a deep faith in the American dream. His father Seymon got a job hauling furniture for $20 a day while he taught himself English. Eventually, he taught himself enough to pass an engineering exam for the city of New York to get a job as a "sandhog" building tunnels underneath the city as a member of AFSCME District Council 3. Eugene, Alex, and Len attended public schools in Brooklyn, and after graduating from FDR High School Eugene attended SUNY Binghamton and enrolled in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps at Cornell as the next step in his years-long goal to join the Army and serve the country that had given him and his family so much. It was also at Binghamton University where Eugene met his wife Cindy who was studying Biology, she ultimately became a Molecular Geneticist. After graduating from College, Eugene was commissioned as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army. He and Cindy began what would become a 25-year career in the Army. Eugene spent the first half of his career in the Army as a Paratrooper and Infantry officer, then after putting himself through Law School once Cindy had finished her PHD and they were raising their son, Max, he became an officer in the JAG Corps. As a JAG Eugene served across the country and around the globe. As a JAG he served as a prosecutor where he fought to protect servicewomen from sexual predators and held serious felons accountable, as well as a battlefield advisor on the law of war to U.S. Forces-Iraq & General Lloyd Austin. In 2016, Eugene was assigned to the Pentagon, and he and Cindy settled near family in Dale City, Virginia. Later, he joined the National Security Council (NSC) as a Legal Advisor focused on international partnerships, human rights, and ethics, and eventually became the NSC's Senior Ethics Official in the White House. On July 25, 2019, Eugene's twin brother, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, who also served on the NSC, listened in to President Trump's call with the President of Ukraine where Trump attempted to extort Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden. Alex reported the call to Eugene, and together they reported it up the chain of command. Trump was impeached for this attack on our democracy, but he was never held accountable. Two days after he was acquitted by the Senate he fired Alex and Eugene from the White House.

Positions

Protecting Abortion Rights and IVF

It is unconscionable that because of extreme politicians, my teenage daughter has fewer rights than her mother or grandmother – rights that women fought for generations to secure. In Congress, I will fight to make sure that the rights of women and girls in Virginia are never dependent on politicians in Richmond or Washington, and I will stop any attempt to ban reproductive healthcare including abortion, IVF, or contraceptives in the Commonwealth. I will restore the protections of Roe nationwide by passing the Women's Health Protection Act, guarantee funding to care providers, and fight to ensure that servicewomen never have to worry about accessing reproductive healthcare no matter where they are stationed.

Defending our Democracy and Protecting Voting Rights

I decided to run for this seat because I deeply believe that the future of our democracy is hanging in the balance. If we don't win this district and flip the House in November our country will face existential threats to our democracy. Yet stopping MAGA extremists this November is just the first step. When I'm elected I will work to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and strengthen protections for election workers so that anyone who threatens a poll volunteer or election official in an attempt to undermine our vote is held accountable.

Stopping Project 2025 and Schedule F

The MAGA movement has made their intentions clear: if they take full control of the Federal Government they will fire thousands and install loyalists into our civil service. If their scheme for Schedule F is enacted, thousands of Virginians will lose their jobs. Many more government contractors and others would be affected and our local economy would be devastated.

Fighting for Our Military Community

As an Iraq War Veteran who served in uniform for over 25 years, I have seen firsthand the toll that service takes on our servicemembers and their families, during and after the time they served. As I travel the district talking with Veterans, or when I stop by my local VFW Post, I hear directly about the issues our Military community is facing. In Congress, I will fight to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure every Veteran is able to access world-class healthcare including mental healthcare to end the epidemic of suicide that takes the lives of thousands of Veterans each year. I will work across the aisle to make sure our Veterans and military spouses have access to good jobs and the resources to transition into civilian life. As the husband of an Army Reserve Soldier and civil servant who supports our active-duty men and women, I know the importance of improving our infrastructure to make it easier for public servants to commute or work effectively remotely.