Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence who became a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, announced Tuesday that she is running for Congress as a Democrat in Virginia’s newly redrawn 7th Congressional District. Troye, who resigned from her role as Pence’s homeland security and counterterrorism adviser in 2020, has positioned herself as a staunch opponent of the MAGA movement, citing threats and harassment she faced after publicly opposing Trump.
Troye’s campaign launch video emphasizes her background as the daughter of a truck driver and a Mexican immigrant, as well as her political evolution from voting for Hillary Clinton in 2016 to criticizing Trump’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. She faces a competitive primary field, including Virginia’s former first lady Dorothy McAuliffe and multiple state lawmakers. The district, which stretches from Washington suburbs to areas around Richmond, has favored Democrats in recent elections, voting for Kamala Harris by 8 points in 2024 and Gov. Abigail Spanberger by 17 points in 2023.
Troye began her career in Republican politics, working for the George W. Bush administration and the Republican National Committee before transitioning to national security roles. She left the White House in 2020 and endorsed Joe Biden, appearing in an anti-Trump ad. The White House disputed her departure, claiming she was fired, a claim Troye denies.
In her campaign announcement, Troye described facing death threats and financial attacks from Trump supporters, stating, 'They sent MAGA after me. Tried to bankrupt me. Threatened to kill me. They thought they could silence me. They obviously don’t know me very well.'