David Williams, a Virginia Republican, launched his Senate campaign on Tuesday, challenging Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) in the 2026 midterm elections.
Williams is running as a Republican aligned with President Donald Trump, even after the GOP lost control of the governor’s mansion with the election of Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger over Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R-VA).
Republicans also lost the lieutenant governor’s race, as well as the attorney general race, as Democrats expanded control of the House of Delegates to 64 seats after entering Election Day with 51 seats.
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The Washington Examiner spoke to Williams in an interview, where he stressed that new leadership is what Virginians need after years of Democratic senators serving in office.
“We need to have the right leadership that’s listening to Virginians, and that’s making sure that they represent Virginia, and that they fight for Virginia,” Williams said. “And so with those many years of service to my country, I’m ready to continue to serve.”
In a 90-second video introducing himself to Virginians, Williams emphasized his background as a Navy and Marine Corps veteran, a former State Department official, and a former CIA officer. Due to his service, Williams has lived all over the Old Dominion but claims Reston as his home base.
“Serving overseas makes you really appreciate how incredible America is, and it made me want to fight for her that much more. And make no mistake, we are in a fight for our country’s future,” Williams said in the video. “From out-of-control crime to imposing a radical trans agenda on our kids, to taking away our freedoms, the far-Left is eating away at the very fabric of what makes America great.”
Williams, a black Republican, appears to be following in the footsteps of Earle-Sears, who campaigned heavily against transgender issues. However, Virginians rejected the lieutenant governor’s message in favor of Spanberger, who ran on restoring Virginia’s economy under Trump.
Williams faces a tough environment to unseat Warner, a former Virginia governor who has served as a senator since 2009. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Warner has nearly $13.4 million in campaign finances as of June 2025. The University of Virginia’s Sabato Crystal Ball rates the seat as “Safe Democrat,” and the Cook Political Report rates the race as “Solid Democrat.”
Fellow Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) defeated Republican and Navy veteran Hung Cao in 2024. Trump later appointed Cao as Undersecretary of the Navy in February.
“What Virginians want is someone that is listening to them, someone that is representing them,” Williams said about the uphill climb against Warner. “And I believe that that is not happening right now, and that’s what we’re going to change.”
The top issue for Virginians ahead of the gubernatorial election earlier this month was the economy, a key factor that Williams claimed would be a top messaging strategy for his campaign.
“We need to build a Virginia that everyone feels that they can move forward and advance and live the American dream,” he said. “And so that’s what we intend on focusing on. That is going to be our main priority, is making sure that we are cutting out-of-control spending that we see come from the Democrats and to get the tax relief to those folks that really need it.”
Trump notably never gave Earle-Sears a full-throated endorsement during the gubernatorial election, although Williams sounds more hopeful that he will fare better with the president.
“I would hope the president of the United States would endorse us,” Williams said. “But for me, my main goal and my main objective is to ensure that I’m representing Virginians in a way that they would be proud to have.”
Virginia will hold its 2026 primary elections in June, where Williams will battle Kim Farington, a Republican living in Northern Virginia, and state Sen. Bryce Reeves for the Republican Senate nomination.
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Williams stressed that his background of over 30 years of service to the nation would help him defeat his Republican competitors.
“I love America, and I know that … we have our best days ahead of us, but we just need the right leadership,” he said. “And so that’s, that’s where I come in.”