Former special forces soldier gets another big name endorsement in race to flip swing House seat from Dems

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EXCLUSIVE: Former U.S. Army Special Forces Green Beret and combat veteran Derrick Anderson has received another big name endorsement in his bid to flip one of the nation's most competitive House seats from the Democrats.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., a former Army Ranger, announced Thursday he would be backing Anderson to represent Virginia's 7th Congressional District currently held by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va. —  one of the GOP's top 2024 targets to try and strengthen the party's narrow majority in the House.

"Derrick Anderson is a Special Forces Green Beret who will be a strong conservative leader in the U.S. House. His service to this country demonstrates clearly that he’ll represent Virginia’s 7th District well and will be a strong advocate for his home state. I’m pleased to support him," Cotton told Fox News Digital in a statement.

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Former Special Forces soldier and Republican Virginia congressional candidate Derrick Anderson. (Derrick Anderson)

Anderson told Fox he was "honored" to accept the endorsement, and that Cotton was "a strong conservative fighter" who "gets the job done."

Last month, he received endorsements from Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a former Navy SEAL, Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., an Army veteran, and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., a former Green Beret. 

Anderson, who served in the Army from 2006 to 2014 and deployed on six tours of duty throughout the Middle East as part of the Global War on Terror, launched his congressional campaign in mid-September. He first ran for the seat in 2022, but narrowly lost the Republican primary to former congressional candidate Yesli Vega. 

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Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., is seen in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Spanberger, a former CIA operative, went on to defeat Vega in the general election by just under 5%, securing her third term. However, according to Politico, Spanberger has said she will run for governor of Virginia in 2025 and will forego running for a fourth term in Congress next year.

Anderson is one of five candidates vying for the Republican nomination for the district.

Former Special Forces soldier and Republican Virginia congressional candidate Derrick Anderson. (Derrick Anderson)

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Republicans currently hold a slim five-seat majority in the House of Representatives and are hoping to build on that next year, partly by capitalizing on the unpopularity of President Biden. The party gained control of the chamber following the 2022 midterm elections, but performed well below expectations.