Derrick Anderson, the Republican U.S. House candidate for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, said on Tuesday that his Democratic opponent is “dodging simple questions” about whether he exaggerated or inflated the sum of his military experience while on the campaign trail.
The Vindman campaign is currently the subject of a Federal Elections Commission (FEC) complaint over its reliance on an outside group to provide a response to questions about the candidate’s military experience.
Vindman has claimed he saw combat during his military service, but in 2019, The Daily Mail reported that he saw no combat while overseas.
In the wake of the complaint, Anderson announced he accepted six debate or forum offers, including one to Vindman, and challenged the Democrat to answer voters’ questions.
Anderson wrote in a post to the social media platform X on Wednesday that Vindman “is dodging my debate challenge and he’s dodging simple questions about inflating his military resume.”
He argued, “It’s time for Vindman to step up and defend his claims in front of #VA07 voters.”
My opponent @YVindman is dodging my debate challenge and he’s dodging simple questions about inflating his military resume.
It’s time for Vindman to step up and defend his claims in front of #VA07 voters.
Want more info? Watch the video below ⬇️ https://t.co/JF5HObEnZG
— Derrick Anderson (@DerrickforVA) August 28, 2024
Anderson also held a press conference to announce the debates and urge Vindman to accept on Tuesday, when he told ABC 7 that voters “deserve to hear from both candidates in a thoughtful discussion of the issues, not once, not just in TV ads or on social media, but multiple times across the district.”
The Republican reported on Wednesday that more than 24 hours had passed without Vindman acknowledging or accepting the offers to debate or share a stage.
It's been 24 hours since I challenged my opponent, Yevgeny Vindman, to six debates and forums. He has yet to accept.
The people of #VA07 deserve to hear directly from the candidates, not just via TV ads and social media. https://t.co/VvudKqTGsp
— Derrick Anderson (@DerrickforVA) August 28, 2024
Anderson’s proposed debate schedule coincides with his campaign’s release of an internal poll that shows him in a dead heat with Vindman.
That poll, according to ABC 7, showed Vindman with 41 percent of the vote, giving the Democrat just a 1 percent lead over Anderson, who pollsters found was supported by 42 percent of Virginians.
The margin of error for the survey was reportedly 4.9 percent, leaving the candidates statistically tied.
Vindman and his twin brother, Alexander, were central figures in the first effort to impeach former President Donald Trump. His brother claimed to overhear Trump’s conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, while Vindman took his brother’s report and contacted government attorneys.
Anderson and Vindman are competing for the position being vacated by Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07), who is leaving the U.S. House in January in a bid to become Virginia’s next governor.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Eugene Vindman” by Eugene Vindman for Congress.
