Yesli Vega endorses Navy SEAL veteran Cameron Hamilton

Yesli Vega will not seek the Republican nomination for the 7th District Congressional race.

Vega was the party nominee in 2022 for the seat now held by Abigail Spanberger. She told Potomac Local News that she endorsed Hamilton at the Prince William County Republican Committee meeting.

Vega began a second term on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors this month.

It’s the latest in a series of endorsements for Hamilton, including the backing of Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.).

Hamilton is married, a father of three, a Navy SEAL combat veteran, and a former Homeland Security division director with a military and public service background.

During his military career, he served in SEAL Team Eight and completed four overseas deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Following an honorable discharge after 10 years, Cameron worked at the U.S. Department of State, supporting crisis response teams and the Bureau of Counterterrorism. His responsibilities included protecting congressional delegations and Ambassadors at U.S. Embassies and Diplomatic Missions. Later, he joined the Department of Homeland Security as the Director of the Emergency Medical Services Division, overseeing EMTs, First Responders, and Operational Medical Programs.

With a bachelor’s degree in health science, Cameron has extensive international experience, serving in over 35 countries under four different Presidential administrations. He and his family live in Orange, Virginia.

Virginia’s 7th Congressional District includes all or part of 10 counties, including Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Culpeper, King George, Orange, Madison, Greene, and Albermarle. It also includes Fredericksburg.

It’s an open seat this year after incumbent Democrat Abigail Spanberger announced she would not seek reelection and instead will run in 2025 to become Virginia’s next governor at the end of Glenn Youngkin’s term (Virginia is the only state in the union that does not permit incumbent governors from serving consecutive terms).

Spanberger, who worked as a federal law enforcement officer and a CIA officer before entering politics, was first elected to the 7th District seat in 2018.

In her 2022 matchup with Vega, Spanberger won 53% of the vote. Vega won eight of the 10 counties in the district, including Stafford and Spotsylvania. But she lost Prince William County, the most populated county in the district. Prince William voters are credited with giving Spanberger the win.

Hamilton is one of eight Republicans vying for the seat.

Eight Democrats- Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, Margaret Franklin, Brianna Sewell, and Elizabeth Guzman, from Prince William County, and Clifford Heinzer, of Stafford County- also seek the seat.

Virginia’s Presidential Primary is on March 5, 2024. Early voting by mail and in-person is now underway. You can find your polling place here.