Operation Dark Horse: Surprise entry in 2024 GOP race

David Stuckenberg has faced long odds before and won.

As an Air Force major and combat pilot, he helped end the military’s reluctance to face up to the threat of electromagnetic pulse warfare and start building defenses of strategic bases.

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As an inventor and entrepreneur, he found a way to make fresh water out of thin air, potentially delivering life to troops and civilians around the world with his Genesis Systems WaterCube.

And in his latest battle, Stuckenberg is hoping to overcome partisanship and inaction in Washington to unite America.

You guessed it, the 42-year-old Florida resident widely respected in military and business circles is running for the Republican nomination for president, offering combat experience and King’s College smarts.

“It’s time to stop buying the snake oil and get real medicine,” he said in dismissing his opponents.

The conservative and father of five is a late arrival to the race and calls his campaign “Operation Dark Horse.” He has made it onto ballots in New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Missouri and is working overtime to get into more primaries and caucuses before the application deadlines pass.

Asked why he feels compelled to run, he told Secrets that while doing lawn work on Sept. 11, he told one of his children the story of John O’Neill, who died at the Twin Towers as a security chief after being pushed out of the FBI for warning about Osama bin Laden. He has been dubbed “The Man Who Knew.”

He asked his child what O’Neill would say today about fighting the threats to America and was told, “Never take no for an answer.”

Stuckenberg said that stuck with him, and with his insider knowledge from working at the Air Force’s “Air University,” the Pentagon, the State Department, and the White House, he decided to tackle the challenges to the nation.

“If things were good, I would not be doing this,” he said in an interview, adding, “I’ve seen over the mountain, and I know what is arraying against the people of the United States.”

He has little campaign infrastructure in place but has collected endorsements from key national security players, including former CIA Director R. James Woolsey, who called Stuckenberg a “national treasure.” He has also staked out positions on critical matters such as reforming immigration, promoting anti-abortion policies, and cracking down on China.

But with his background as a disrupter, Stuckenberg mostly is offering to stir up Washington. “I plan to put together a turnaround team for this nation, a Cabinet that brings together Avengers-level talent,” the Oklahoma native said.

The odds are stacked against him. Former President Donald Trump has held historic-sized leads over better-known challengers for months. He won’t qualify for the remaining GOP debates. Campaign expenses are fantastically high, as former Vice President Mike Pence found out before bailing on the 2024 race.

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Still, Stuckenberg has faith. He said Trump can’t be trusted, expects to connect with enough voters that buzz will boost his campaign, and believes he’ll have a budget to make a stand in all the early primaries.

“If this were not possible, I wouldn’t be here,” Stuckenberg told Secrets. “I’m one of them,” he said of voters stung by inflation and national inaction on critical matters. “I feel it at the gas pump. I make less money than Joe the plumber. But I have the experience that they’re looking for and a record to back it up.”