Chris Walker (West Virginia)

I’m retired Brigadier General Chris “Mookie” Walker. I joined the United States Air Force in 1983, and I spent the next 40 years deploying all over the world.

I served in Mogadishu in the lead up to the Black Hawk Down incident and saw combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. I took command of the West Virginia Air National Guard in 2019 and led our sons and daughters for four great years.

I’m running for Congress because America is under attack. Deadly fentanyl pours across a wide-open southern border, alongside millions of illegal aliens. Our once-feared military—depleted, diminished, and demoralized, nothing like it was under President Trump. Inflation skyrockets. Men dominate girls’ sports. Our children are indoctrinated in the classroom.

It doesn’t have to be this way. But we have to make the right choice in May. We can’t have one more career politician merely casting votes. We need a leader winning battles.

When I get to Washington, we’ll get back to basics. A vibrant economy. A classical education. A secure border. Law enforcement will be respected, and our military will be second to none, like it was four years ago.

That’s a good deal for every West Virginian.

No one is entitled to a seat in Congress. It doesn’t belong to one person or family. It belongs to us—the people of West Virginia. And if we send a self-made West Virginia warrior to Congress, the Swamp will never know what hit it.

• I'll secure our southern border. Right now, the situation is out of control. Tens of thousands of illegals pour across our border each day, flooding our streets with drugs and crime. In the West Virginia Air National Guard, I directed deployments to the southern border to crack down on illegal immigration during the George W. Bush Administration. In Congress, I'll work with President Trump to close the border, build the wall, deport illegals, and hold Mexico and China accountable for the fentanyl crisis.
• I will re-strengthen our depleted military. As an Air Force General, I've seen firsthand how the Biden Administration has diminished our military capability by prioritizing wokeness over readiness. In Congress, I'll work with other veterans to replenish our munitions stockpiles, hold the Defense Department accountable for recruitment goals, and make sure our servicemembers are focused on warfighting and prepared to take on China.
• I am a battle-tested conservative outsider, and I'm ready to shake up the Swamp. Washington, D.C. has too many career politicians and too few warriors. I've spent my life fighting our nation's enemies—and I know how to win. I'll take that with me to Congress, and I'll make sure our West Virginia values are preserved for the next generation.

Foreign affairs, national defense, veterans issues, and education.

My first answer is Jesus, though I admit that, as a sinner, I fail to live up to his example every day.

I also respect Winston Churchill for his courage and strength of convictions in standing up to the Nazi threat during World War II.

And finally, my dad. My dad inspired my work ethic, taught me how to fix almost anything, & showed me what it means to love America.

All the values I'll bring to Congress, I learned from my dad.

"Leaders Eat Last" by Simon Sinek

"Skin in the Game" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

"Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" by Giles Milton

"Conscience of a Conservative" by Barry Goldwater

Honesty, integrity, and courage.

My strict Jamaican parents instilled in me that your word is your bond, and that what you do when no one is watching is what's most important. In the Air Force, and on battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, I saw service and sacrifice in their purest forms.

In Congress, I will always be honest with my constituents. I'll live my values and lead with conviction even if it's unpopular with the Washington elite. I'll be a strong voice for West Virginians and for our conservative beliefs. That's what folks deserve from their congressman.

The ability to collaborate, to listen and to understand, and the ability to sway people toward doing the right thing.

To represent West Virginians instead of specials interests.

To listen to their voices instead of dictate to them.

To always remember who sent me to Congress.

And to keep folks in WV-02 fully informed about what's happening in Washington, D.C.—because the people are my boss.

When I'm gone, I'd like them to say of me that "Chris Walker served his country in the military, went to Congress, changed things for the better, and then went home and let someone else serve the people in government."

The first major historical event I remember is President Nixon's impeachment and resignation when I was 7 years old. I remember being devastated by it because I did not like George McGovern.

My first job was with the National Survey Research Group at age 16. I stayed in it for 6 months before I realized that the pay didn't cover my bus fare and lunch and I was much better off focusing on my education.

It taught me a whole lot about financial management.

As the world's oldest and most enduring deliberative body, the House of Representatives has many unique qualities. Among the most important is the power of the purse. It's critical that members of Congress prioritize the longterm health of our economy and work to balance the budget and reduce our national debt.

And as a retired General, I'm particularly interested in working with other veterans to develop the NDAA every year. The Department of Defense must always be accountable to the people, and I look forward to guaranteeing that in Congress.

I do not. The Founding Fathers never intended for public servants to become career politicians.

This country is in such dire straits precisely because career politicians have ignored the wants and needs of the American people. I look forward to brining my years of battle-tested military experience and outsider perspective to the halls of Congress.

First, we must address our wide-open southern border. The crime and drugs that freely flow through our streets as a direct result of the Biden Administration's feckless border policies have made America more unsafe than at any time in recent memory.

Next is improving America's fiscal well-being. Our financial system is like a train without brakes, hurdling toward a cliff. We must reduce our spending and balance our budget. Our children's futures depend on it.

Finally, In the near term, we must prevent China from forming a new world order. Their influence and military capability grow by the day, and their ambitions know no bounds. We must maintain economic and military superiority over the Chinese Communist Party.

In addition, we need a world class education system. America is the most daring and innovative country in the history of civilization. There's no excuse for education outcomes that, in some cases, are little better those in the developing world. In Congress, I'll fight to prioritize STEM education so that we can compete with our allies and adversaries and ensure that this century, like the last, belongs to America.

I would be open to a proposal to make representatives terms four years each. In today's hyper-political environment, too many in Congress are focused on the next election. Almost as soon as a congressman takes office, he's already running for re-election. It distracts from the work of the people and makes it difficult to get big things done.

I support term limits. No one should die of old age in Congress.

I'd like to model myself after Newt Gingrich. Speaker Gingrich got so much accomplished, often in the face of dedicated opposition. It takes courage to live your values when its unpopular and he did that day in and day out

And getting a Democratic president to balance the budget is something we desperately need in Congress right now.

As a candidate for public office—and before that as the Commander of the West Virginia Air National Guard—I've had the privilege to travel the length and breadth of West Virginia, including the full reach of the Second Congressional District.

Among those I've had the privilege to meet, there's been too much pain; too much anguish; too much sacrifice. And choosing just one story is honestly too difficult.

I've met parents who have lost children to opioid addiction, coal miners and factory workers who have lost their jobs to green energy deals and automation, and families so poor they are one unexpected expense away from ruin.

The policies of the last four years have been devastating for so many Americans, but especially for West Virginians. I'm running for Congress to make life better for those folks.

Compromise is always necessary, though not always desirable. In the military, I was taught to not let the good be the enemy of the perfect.

I'm under no illusions that, as a member of a deliberative body like the House of Representatives, my side will always get everything it wants.

My sole goal in Congress is racking up wins for West Virginia and America. I can compromise to achieve solutions without compromising my values—and that's what I'll do.

As I've said, the power of the purse is immense. It would allow me as a congressman to hold agencies feet to the fire and ensure the effective and efficient use of funds.

The House of Representative should use all powers available to it to ensure that the American people are given the truth and to guarantee that those in power are behaving responsibility and using that power for the betterment of our communities.

Foreign Affairs, Armed Services, Intelligence, Education and the Workforce, Natural Resources, and Energy and Commerce.

When I served in the Pentagon, I led a program to ensure dollars sent to National Guards were spent responsibility and efficiently. As program director, my highest priorities were transparency and accountability, and under my leadership, we safeguarded the transfer and use of nearly four billion dollars in military spending across all 54 states and territories.

I'll fight for that same level of accountability, efficiency and transparency when negotiating our country's annual budget.