Campaign Website:
www.davebeckwithforcongress.com

Campaign POC:

Phone Number: (571) 271-2703

Campaign Email:
dave@davebeckwithforcongress.com

Vetting Panel Selected: Pending

Structured Interview Completed: Pending

Biography:  Dave Beckwith is not a politician – he’s a public servant who has dedicated his life to the interests of America and its people.  Dave’s “no excuses” leadership means action, accountability, and results… not shortcuts and bailouts.

Early Years

The son of an American public servant, Dave grew up in the D.C. area.  Inspired by the leadership of President Ronald Reagan, Dave felt called to serve his nation in uniform. He earned a 4-year Air Force ROTC scholarship at the University of Notre Dame. Dave graduated in 1987 with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, and was commissioned as an Air Force officer.  He married his high school sweetheart, Sally, and together they embarked on a 30-year career in the Air Force, during which Dave served with and learned from a diverse team of patriots from all over the nation.  

Career 

As a military engineer and program manager, Dave delivered state-of-the art defense technology to our troops and Intelligence Community to maintain and strengthen our national security. He is a graduate of the prestigious U.S. Army War College. After serving 30 years in the active duty Air Force, Dave retired as a Colonel before going on to a civilian career in the Intelligence Community. Since 2018, Dave has served as a federal Defense Intelligence Senior Leader charged with delivering technology to meet the nation’s toughest intelligence and defense threats. Dave’s long and decorated career garnered him a depth and breadth of federal expertise – policy, budgets, national security, legislation, foreign affairs, and cross-disciplinary leadership – essential to driving voter-focused, results-oriented action in Washington.

Community

Dave is an active and connected member of the 10th District community.  Dave was elected President of his neighborhood Homeowners’ Association, where he fostered quality of life for citizens in the Sterling area.  Dave and his wife Sally homeschooled their three kids; he’s a staunch advocate for homeschooling and school choice.  He served as Athletic Director for an organization that enabled home school students to compete in sports leagues across Loudoun and Fairfax Counties.  As a man of faith, Dave and his wife also serve the community through their local church.  For the Beckwiths, love for Virginia is a family affair – Dave’s wife and both their sons graduated from Virginia Tech with engineering degrees; his daughter, a proud Army wife, calls the 10th District home and has interned for organizations such as the Heritage Foundation and Young Life.

Perspective

As a cancer survivor, Dave learned two deep life lessons. First, life is a blessing to be thankful for each day – he is strongly pro-life and embraces the joys and challenges life can bring.  And second, it is important to follow one’s passions.  For Dave, his passion has always been caring for his family, his community, and his country – and ensuring their right to pursue liberty and prosperity as promised in the entire Bill of Rights.   

Why you? I’m not a politician, a lawyer, or a political heir.  I’m a public servant who’s dedicated my entire adult life to the defense of American security, freedom, and prosperity.

I’m an engineer; I’ve been gifted by God and trained by the best to solve problems.  That’s what I’ve done for the last 30+ years in my military and intelligence career, and that’s what I’ve done for my family and community as a homeschool dad and man of faith.  VA10 needs a problem solver with the proven ability to find and fix what’s broken and make the right decisions to maximize prosperity, security, and freedom.

I have the deep federal experience essential to getting things done on the Hill.   I have insider knowledge without the insider taint – the people of VA10 need that kind of savvy and integrity to defend their freedoms and their paychecks.  It’s a one-two punch my opponents – including Jennifer Wexton – can’t match.

What are your priorities? 
Grow a robust economy driven by people, not government.
Strengthen our security on the global stage and at home.
Give Virginians back the freedom to make choices for themselves and their families.
Empower Virginia’s parents to take charge of the education of their children.
Support our local police and take criminals off the streets.

Endorsements: Forthcoming.

Education: 
BS, Aerospace Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN
MS, Mechanical Engineering, University of Dayton, Dayton OH
MS, Military Operational Art and Science, Air University, Montgomery AL
MS, Strategic Studies, Army War College, Carlisle PA

Relevant Employment History: 30-year career as a US Air Force officer – engineer and program manager designing and delivering military and intelligence capabilities for America’s warfighters and national security agencies.  Retired as an O-6 / Colonel.

Most recently served as Principal Deputy Director, Systems Engineering Directorate, National Reconnaissance Office.  Led the NRO, a federal agency, to collaborate with DoD and other Intelligence Community agencies to plan, design, integrate, and deliver space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities and cyber intelligence capabilities for the US and its allies.  Delivered technologies that fought the Global War on Terrorism and helped take down Osama bin Laden.

Military Experience / Branch / Years of Service / Rank / Type of Discharge: See biography.
US Air Force (active duty) / 30 years of active duty service / Colonel (O-6) / Retired

Past Offices Held and Tenure: None – I’m a career public servant, not a politician.  I bring deep federal expertise – policy, budgets, national security, legislation, foreign affairs, and cross-disciplinary leadership – essential to driving voter-focused, results-oriented action in Washington.  Local-level politicians and civic leaders don’t have the experience necessary to negotiate and win in Congress.

Community Service: 
I was elected President of my neighborhood Homeowners’ Association, where I fostered quality of life for citizens in the Sterling area.  

My wife Sally and I homeschooled our three kids from K to 12; I’m a staunch advocate for homeschooling and school choice.

I served as Athletic Director for an organization that enabled homeschool students to compete in sports leagues across Loudoun and Fairfax Counties (HEARTS Lions).  

As a man of faith, I serve the community through my local church and as a member of the men’s ministry leadership team.

Leadership Experience: My long and decorated career gives me a depth and breadth of federal expertise – policy, budgets, national security, legislation, foreign affairs, and cross-disciplinary leadership – essential to driving voter-focused, results-oriented action in Washington.

As a military engineer and program manager, I led thousands of men and women from diverse walks of life to deliver state-of-the art defense technology to our troops and Intelligence Community to maintain and strengthen our national security. 

My training as an elite military officer equipped me with world-class leadership skills.  I’m a graduate of the prestigious and selective U.S. Army War College where I studied strategic leadership with military officers from around the world. 

After serving 30 years in the active duty Air Force, I retired as a Colonel before going on to a civilian career in the Intelligence Community. Since 2018, I served in the highest leadership levels at the National Reconnaissance Office as a federal Defense Intelligence Senior Leader charged with delivering technology to meet the nation’s toughest intelligence and defense threats. I led thousands of federal workers and contractors to steward taxpayer dollars and ensure maximum intelligence value for the American people.

Personal Strengths: 

Leadership – I’m the VA10 candidate with the most federal leadership experience – essential to navigating and beating the DC quagmire.  My deep experience building and leading cross-government and industry teams will get results for the people of VA10.

Drive – I have a clear vision for prosperity, security, and freedom in VA10 and around the nation, and I have the resolve, dedication, and work ethic to put us on the right track to realize that vision.

Faith – As a man of faith and a cancer survivor, I know life is a blessing to be thankful for each day – I’m strongly pro-life.  My faith gives me a passion for caring for my family, my community, and my country, and a hope that good can still win in America.

Maturity – I’m a mature, rational leader.  I’ll get headlines for delivering results, not media antics or splash soundbites.  I listen, decide, then act based on facts, not emotions or popular trends.  I have the resolve to see a fight through to the finish.

What is the most important thing Virginians need to know about you? I’m the candidate with the right experience and leadership  to beat Jennifer Wexton and solve problems for VA10 and our nation in Congress

How would your friends and family describe you? 
Driven
Deliberate
Rational
Compassionate

What are your thoughts on the Constitution as the Law of the Land? As an Air Force officer, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.  As a member of Congress, I will continue to live by that oath.

I’m a Constitutional originalist. The fact that it’s the world’s longest-standing document of its type proves that it works.  Our Constitution provides general guidelines to minimize government and maximize freedom in all situations.  Rewriting the Constitution to suit ever-changing culture norms is the fastest way to destroy nearly 250 years of growth and freedom.  I will fight any effort by any parties to dismantle our Constitution.

The Constitution is written as a short and effective covenant between the government and the American people.  Its most critical function is to limit what the federal government can do and how it can operate – both are key to keeping tyranny at bay.  I will fight to the utmost to ensure the federal government fulfills its obligations under the Constitution and treads no further.  I’ll ensure the 10th Amendment is honored, keeping the power to govern life, liberty, and property at the state level, not via a centralized national body.   

What are your thoughts on religious liberty? As your Representative to Congress, I’ll fight for your 1st Amendment rights and ensure the government upholds its sacred duty to protect them.

As a man of faith, I deeply value the ability to worship as my convictions lead me.  As an American, I’m grateful for the 1st Amendment which prohibits the government from interfering with the exercise of my faith.

During the COVD-19 pandemic, we saw government officials – elected and otherwise – unconstitutionally deny millions of Americans from all faiths the ability to exercise their religious beliefs.  We continue to see not only religious freedom but freedom of thought and speech come under attack from government officials, progressive activists, educational institutions, and the media and corporations that enable them.  I’m running for Congress to bring the fight to any government or private group seeking to deny you your right to exercise the freedoms guaranteed by the 1st Amendment.  

What are your thoughts on the preservation of our history? As the VA10 Representative to Congress, I’ll fight to stop the rewriting of history and work to ensure our students are given a broad and accurate review of American history so they can draw their own conclusions through independent thought.

America hasn’t become the greatest nation on earth by accident or by a system of oppression.  We’ve achieved greatness through the freedoms guaranteed by our Constitution and by the innovation, ideas, and resolve that freedom has fostered in  generations of Americans before us.  

Our history undoubtedly has shameful moments, but those cannot and must not be allowed to define us.  We cannot rewrite history to punish citizens today for the wrongs of the past.  Any lesson in American history needs to recall and assess the good and the bad to learn from our wrongs and embrace our successes.

What are your thought on government transparency? As a member of Congress, I will work for government transparency at all levels and fight the ‘you-can-find-out-what’s-in-the-bill-after-we-pass-it’ mentality so pervasive in Washington.

James Madison was both the Father of the Constitution and a staunch advocate for government transparency. He once wrote that a “popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both.”  

Leaders serve the people who elect them – it is our duty to ensure the citizens we represent have a full and unobscured view of government plans and actions and the freedom to speak for or against them.  

What are your thoughts on national defense? With over 30 years of experience leading people and programs for the military and Intelligence Community, I know how to choose the right priorities, make the right investments at the right time, and hold our leaders accountable to deliver national defense.

Our national defense and our strategic interests have been weakened by the current administration.  While the Democrats focus on using our military as a pawn for divisive social issues, Chinese and Russian capabilities are surpassing ours in many areas.  Our freedom and way of life are at risk.

We need to rebuild our military to fight and win in all domains, an effort begun under previous administrations but killed by the disastrous priorities of politicians like Joe Biden and Jennifer Wexton. We need leaders in Washington who will hold the President accountable for his failures in maintaining and using our defense capabilities. Only through restoring Congressional oversight that has been missing in action under the Democrat-controlled legislature can we hold our civilian and military leaders accountable and chart a path to a more secure future.  

The backbone of our military strength is our men and women in uniform and the civilians who work alongside them.  We need to attract and retain the best to defend our freedoms and train and equip them to win – not weaken our ranks with partisan mandates and left-wing social engineering.  As your Representative, I will insist DoD salaries keep pace with costs of living, and that military leaders focus on mission readiness, not radical social agendas.  I will also be a rock solid vote for maintaining America’s commitment to providing medical care and mental health services to our military members – past, present, and future. 

What are your thoughts on the free enterprise system? We need to get our free market economy revved up again – get people back to work, supply materials to businesses big and small, and get products into our stores – all fuel for the amazing American economic engine to lift up Americans in all walks of life. Only then will we see prices stabilized, inflation tamed, and our place in the world economy strengthened. Biden and Wexton want you to consider trillions in government deficit spending as economic growth. However, you know real growth comes from free enterprise that yields more jobs, better wages, better productivity, more opportunity, and a better future.

Socialism is rising in popularity as a means to achieving “equity.”  But radical Marxist ideals don’t lift people out of poverty – look at nations like China, Cuba, North Korea, and Venezuela.  No, the path to prosperity lies in putting resources into the hands of people, not government.  As your Representative to Congress, I will fight to defend our free market system and:

End political, social, and financial uncertainty – heavy-handed COVID policies and Washington’s focus on divisive social agendas create a toxic cocktail for inflation and joblessness

Lower taxes – allow people to keep more of what they have earned, and encourage companies big and small to reinvest their profits in jobs, innovation, and expansion

Stop the Federal Reserve printing press – manufacturing trillions of dollars doesn’t equal more wealth, just more inflation and debt

Quit the debt-laden government spending spree – it stifles private investment in new technology, creates inflation, saddles taxpayers with interest payments to foreign financiers, and mortgages the economic prosperity of future generations 

Deregulate – the current supply chain disaster is a symptom of the mismanagement of bureaucrats like Biden and Wexton.  Government red tape ties the hands of industry and puts politicians, not people, in the driver’s seat

Lower energy costs – high energy costs affect the entire nation and hit lower and middle income families the hardest. Our nation has a wealth of energy resources which, when properly and responsibly leveraged, will lower energy costs and lead to lower prices on goods and services. A return to American energy independence will put an end to our dependence on foreign oil, stoke our economic growth, and help families’ paychecks go further.

What are your thoughts on the protection of the unborn? There is no freedom without life.  The basic right to be born and to live life should be our nation’s highest priority. I hope that everyone chooses life, just as life was chosen for them. 

I will fight for the life-defending safeguards discarded by President Biden and Congresswoman Wexton, such as the Hyde Amendment, which ensures the federal government does not fund abortions.  

I will bring the strongest support possible to overturn Roe vs Wade, which will place the question of abortion in the hands of voters to determine at the state level, and I’ll flat-out oppose any and all federal laws that threaten the right to life or threaten states’ 10th Amendment rights regarding the right to life.

What are your thoughts on the role the family plays in America? History has proven, over and over, that the strongest societies have, at their bedrock, nuclear families and distinct gender roles.  The greatest generations of Americans that fought and won two world wars and created the most prosperity, security, freedom, and equality the world has ever seen relied on the power of family for strength and stability.

Marxists like Black Lives Matter, radical abortionists, and LGBTQ activists want to, under the guises of progress, equality, “science,” and mental health, dismiss thousands of years of human history and cast away the basic human structures of family and gender.  Men and boys are now encouraged to usurp the opportunities in sports and leadership which women and girls strove for decades to realize, children are indoctrinated to reject their biology, and even Supreme Court nominees will no longer define what a woman is.  This assault on the family, on women, and on our children must be stopped.

As your Representative, I will fight against these catastrophic movements – in government, in schools, and in our medical and scientific institutions – and aggressively oppose any efforts by Congress or the President to undermine the American nuclear family and deny the realities of male and female. 

What are your thoughts on equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity, as opposed to equal outcomes?  There is no freedom when the government controls life’s outcomes for its citizens. I believe in equality without qualifiers. I use the term ‘without qualifiers’ because I want to emphasize that equality applies to everyone. It does not apply only to certain ethnicities or identities, and does not get rescinded when we encounter challenges in pursuing and achieving equality. 

Our nation’s leaders must stay focused on individuals and help each person to pursue and achieve the best in life. Equality ensures that every American has full rights and access to the promise of America. Equity, on the other hand, forces the unnatural result of equal outcome for all individuals. 

America is unique in that it provides a place where all people are free to take a chance and work hard to obtain a better future – but it does not, and cannot, guarantee equal success to everyone, especially at the expense of others.

What are your thoughts on the 2nd Amendment? Our Constitution ensures citizens the right to bear arms, period.  

The rise in crime across America (and the unwillingness of so many elected officials to uphold the rule of law) has led to dozens and dozens of recent stories where citizens have lawfully used firearms to defend their lives, liberty, and property from violent criminals.

What’s more, progressives want to say there is no threat against America that would warrant an armed citizenry.  However, images of Ukrainian citizens defending their cities against an invading nation would argue otherwise. 

Governments at all levels must work to support the rights given by the 2nd Amendment, rather than pursuing unnecessary and redundant restrictions on lawful gun ownership.

Virginia Constitutional Conservatives Candidate Survey 2022 – CANDIDATE REFUSED TO ANSWER
(https://virginiaconservatives.net/candidate-survey-2022#results_anchor)

Additional sources of information on this candidate: 

Virginia Constitutional Conservatives Candidate Survey 2022 – CANDIDATE REFUSED TO ANSWER
(https://virginiaconservatives.net/candidate-survey-2022#results_anchor)

www.instagram.com/davebeckwithforcongress