The House Republican caucus lost only five members on net in Tuesday’s elections. After runoff elections are held in Louisiana, there will be 241 Republicans and 194 Democrats taking office in January. Among the new congressmen-elect are Brian Mast of Florida and Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, who served, respectively, in the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq after 9/11. Although both races were once considered toss-ups, both candidates won by a wide margin (Mast by 10 points and Gallagher by 25 points).
The two young veterans were profiled in THE WEEKLY STANDARD this fall:
Fifteen years ago, Brian Mast was running on the treadmill at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s gym when he looked up at the TV in disbelief. Smoke was pouring out of a gaping hole in the World Trade Center’s north tower. At first, he thought he was watching a fictional show. “Then I saw the second plane hit and said, ‘Wow, this is real. We’re under attack.’ ” The events of that day would change Mast’s life forever. Already a reservist on 9/11, Mast spent most of the next decade on active duty in the U.S. Army, eventually training to be a bomb technician before deploying to Afghanistan under Joint Special Operations Command. On a mission in pursuit of a high-value target in 2010, Mast was hit by an improvised explosive device. He lost both of his legs just above the knee and his left index finger. But he never lost his determination. “I did physical therapy all day, every day,” Mast says of his time at Walter Reed hospital. “For now, for me, there’s very little I can’t do.” That’s something of an understatement. Since sustaining injuries in Afghanistan, Mast has worked in three federal agencies, finished his college degree at Harvard’s extension program, and volunteered in a logistical role with the Israeli military. Now 36, he is the father of three children between the ages of 1 and 6 with his wife, Brianna. This year, Mast took on another job: running for Congress. On August 30, he won the Republican primary in Florida’s 18th Congressional District, a swing seat just north of Palm Beach. In an election with a record number of voters dissatisfied with both major presidential nominees, Mast’s candidacy may serve as a much-needed bright spot for many Americans.
You can read more about Mast and Gallagher here.
