Former Border Patrol chief Ron Vitiello holds event to commence Virginia Senate race

EXCLUSIVE — A career federal law enforcement agent who oversaw the Border Patrol during the Trump administration will hold his first major Senate campaign event in Virginia on Tuesday, the Washington Examiner has learned.

Ronald “Ron” Vitiello is running as a Republican to unseat incumbent Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), who is seeking a third term in November 2024.

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“I couldn’t be more proud or excited to officially launch our campaign for U.S. Senate in Virginia today,” Vitiello told the Washington Examiner. “After 34 years serving our country as a Border Patrol agent, culminating in leading the agency as chief under President Trump’s administration, I learned that some things are worth fighting for. I’m not a politician, but I can’t stand by as the America I faithfully served is devastated by President Biden and extreme Democrats like Sen. Tim Kaine.”

Family and friends of Vitiello were invited to the Athenaeum in Alexandria, Virginia.

Vitiello is one of eight Republicans vying for the nomination and is running as the candidate to “Make America Safe.”

“Our country faces sky-high inflation, attacks on our Constitution, hyperpoliticized schools, a collapsing rule of law, and the worst border crisis we’ve ever seen,” Vitiello said. “It’s time to shake up Washington, D.C., and restore commonsense conservative leadership so we can get the country we love back on track.”

Vitiello was appointed Border Patrol chief days into former President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January 2017. Border Patrol chief is not a Senate-confirmed position but rather a nonpolitical job selected by Department of Homeland Security leadership.

Vitiello joined Border Patrol in 1985 and worked in various roles in Texas, Arizona, Washington, D.C., and Vermont before being finally promoted to Washington headquarters.

He also temporarily worked as deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the largest law enforcement agency in the country, which includes Border Patrol as one of its components.

Trump nominated Vitiello to head U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2018, but Vitiello’s nomination was rescinded in April 2019 when Trump said he wanted to go in a “tougher” direction.

In a hearing before the Senate in 2018, Vitiello said he hoped to better demonstrate to the public why ICE was critical to national security at a time when Democrats called for the federal agency to be abolished.

(Steve Helber/AP)

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Vitiello filed initial federal paperwork in May to run for office and has been fundraising in the months since. Other declared Republicans in the primary include Hung Cao, a former congressional candidate, Scott Parkinson, a former staffer to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and Jonathan W. Emord, a constitutional attorney.

The winner of the GOP primary will take on Kaine in November 2024. The Cook Political Report rated the Virginia Senate race as solidly Democratic.