Devoted Christian, husband, father, veteran, and constitutionalist—congressional candidate Wesley Virdell says those are the aspects that fuel and define his passion to defend the cause of liberty and freedom.
The 39-year-old Republican from Brady, Texas, is one of 10 candidates seeking the party nomination for Texas’ 11th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives—a seat being left by retiring U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway.
Virdell and his wife, Sara, have been married for 17 years and have three sons.
An Air Force veteran who served over six years, Virdell worked on intercontinental ballistic missiles, ultimately attaining the rank of staff sergeant. “I was part of the Space Force before it was cool,” Virdell said with a chuckle. Elements of the missile defense program Virdell worked on have become part of the new Space Force program created under the direction of President Donald Trump.
In addition to military service, Virdell’s educational background includes associate degrees in occupational studies, electronics, management, and more.
After leaving the Air Force, Virdell returned home to his hometown of Brady, where he owns a trucking company that provides energy industry-related services. He also works as a diesel mechanic.
Virdell is a long-time voter and has been actively involved at the grassroots level by staying informed, calling his representatives, and even traveling to the state Capitol to testify in legislative committees for conservative legislation.
This is Virdell’s first bid for public office, and he says he vividly remembers when he was first motivated to run. In 2008, right after he left the Air Force, he saw how the incumbent voted for massive, sub-prime lending bailouts.
“We should have been handing out handcuffs to those that caused the financial crisis, not lining their pockets with taxpayer dollars,” Virdell said.
“Ever since, I have felt a growing duty to step up and offer the people of our district a conservative alternative who will fight for our God-given rights and liberties—and not bow to the radical left and the Washington establishment.”
Virdell says if elected, he plans to join the House Freedom Caucus. Not only does he want to work directly with the Trump administration on getting good legislation formulated and passed into law, but he wants to work on getting bad legislation repealed and off the books.
In addition to working with the Trump administration, Virdell says he will work to force lawmakers to take public votes on legislation and call out “sleight of hand” tactics—something he said will greatly help people hold their lawmakers accountable.
“I want to expose every fake Republican to their constituents so that when they face re-election, the voters will know exactly what they stand for,” he said.
On the issues, Virdell describes himself as staunchly pro-life and says he is completely against any form of gun control, supports securing funding to build a real border wall, and wants to end “catch and release” immigration programs. Additionally, Virdell says Obamacare needs to be repealed “lock, stock, and barrel,” and he strongly advocates for President Trump’s “America First” ideals.
“We are blessed to live in one of the most solidly Republican districts in the nation, and the people need and deserve a representative who will serve the conservative Texas values intrinsic to our way of life—for the people, by the people,” Virdell said.
Some of his endorsements include numerous Republican Party precinct chairs across the district, CrownQuest Energy Company CEO Tim Dunn, Ector County Hospital Board Members Bryn Dodd and Don Hallmark, and Hood County attorney Matthew Mills.
For his closing message to voters, Virdell elaborated on what he believes sets him apart from the other candidates:
“I am a Jeffersonian Republican who cares deeply about restoring the type of government like our founders envisioned. I am a working-class small business owner, and I have continued to work and provide an income for my family through this campaign process. I am disappointed in our over-sized and over-regulated government.
“I am running to serve you because I want to restore liberty and restrain our government from over-reaching its constitutional boundaries. We deserve better, and I want to play a critical role in that process.”
