Six U.S. Navy SEAL veterans are running as Republicans for seats in Congress in 2022 and they’ve formed a political action committee, the SEAL PAC, to support their runs.
In a new campaign ad, the SEAL PAC said the SEAL veterans Ryan Zinke, Brady Duke, Derrick Van Orden, Eli Crane, Morgan Luttrell and Ed Thelander “have one grave threat left to defeat” over an image of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
“They took a blood oath to protect America,” the 30-second ad begins. “They understand that the only easy day was yesterday. They know that our enemies are no match for their strength and their courage.”
“These former Navy SEALs have protected America from enemies all over the world,” the ad continues. “Now they have one great threat left to defeat. Join them.”
The video ends with an overlay with the slogan “Defeat Nancy Pelosi!”
According to their website, the SEAL PAC campaign ad will run on both Fox News and NewsMax.
Zinke, a former commander of the elite SEAL Team 6, previously represented Montana in Congress before becoming the Secretary of the Interior under President Donald Trump. Zinke is running to return to Montana’s congressional delegation and represent Montana’s first congressional district.
Duke was a sniper for SEAL Team 1 and has since become a civilian instructor for military special operators and SWAT teams. He is running for Florida’s seventh congressional district.
Van Orden served in the Navy for 26 years. He had multiple combat tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and was responsible for planning Special Operations contingency operations in Europe in 2012. He is running for Wisconsin’s third congressional district.
Crane served in the Navy for 13 years, including time in SEAL Team 3. After leaving the service he started Bottle Breacher, which makes military-oriented bottle openers and donates to various veteran charities. He is running for Arizona’s first congressional district.
Luttrell served in the SEALs as a Navy Special Warfare Officer. He is also the twin brother and fellow SEAL of Marcus Luttrell, who was the only survivor of Operation Red Wings and who authored the book “Lone Survivor.” Luttrell is running for Texas’ eighth congressional district.
Thelander served in the Navy for 21 years, including time in SEAL Teams 3 and 4 and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 2. He also worked at Navy survival school in Maine and as the SEAL Sniper course manager. He also volunteers as a firefighter and a reserve deputy sheriff and works with Swim With a Mission, a nonprofit that has donated $7 million to veterans programs. He is running for Maine’s first congressional district.
Zinke, Duke, Van Orden, Crane and Luttrell have previously joined together for interviews on Fox News and NewsMax. In October, they called for accountability from President Joe Biden’s administration for the number of U.S. citizens left in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal this summer. They reiterated those concerns again in a November Fox News interview, during which Duke called the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan a “retreat.”
The SEAL PAC has also endorsed 21 other candidates with various military backgrounds.
