Virginia Rep. Dave Brat said he will stress the principles of the United States’ Founding Fathers as he considers whether to run for Senate if Hillary Clinton names Sen. Tim Kaine as her vice presidential running mate.
“I didn’t know it would make such national headlines a few days ago,” Brat told the Washington Examiner, referring to his statement that he would consider running for the seat if Kaine becomes vice president. “I didn’t want to get out in front of the skis or anything, people asked me in passing.
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“I went into this congressional race because economics and ethics are my life’s work, and I wanted to put it into practice,” said Brat, who won his first election by toppling former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. “So I’m going to use those tools to pursue the best interests of this country in any way way that I can. I’ll have to look at what the races look like, and at the opportunities.
“If that day comes when there’s an opening, I’ll take a look and try to do the best for the country following the principled positions I’ve taken since I ran for Congress,” he added.
Brat, who published a book in June titled American Underdog, said he wanted his message to focus on the need for America to return to the principles of the Founding Fathers, particularly James Madison and Thomas Jefferson. Both former presidents hailed from Virginia.
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“Three pillars have made this country great,” Brat said. “The Judeo-Christian tradition, the rule of law and free markets. They emerged in that order in history, and that matters. If you want a successful country that respects minority rights, religious toleration, etc., this tradition is a good model to follow. And it’s not a particular religion.
“Madison and Jefferson were most proud of the statutes on religious tolerance. And that did not come out of a vacuum. That came out of the Judeo-Christian tradition,” he added. “At this point in our history, when we have a war across the oceans related to religious underpinnings and first principles, it is important that we get back to investigating the first principles that made us such an exceptional nation.
“We don’t want centralized power in Washington, or in economics, where they’re called monopolies,” Brat said. “Today that’s what we’re seeing in Washington, politically and economically. We need to break that up if we want to maintain the successful track record of the last 200 years.”
