Exclusive: Stolen Valor accusations roil top House race
A vulnerable Democratic House incumbent miscategorized his military distinction in a political advertisement, a fib Republicans are criticizing him for.
Rep. Don Davis (D., N.C.) claims in ads to be a “retired” member of the U.S. Air Force — a term that is “bestowed upon service members who have served a minimum time period, usually 20 years or more,” according to the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Davis, however, served eight years on active duty, entering the political arena “immediately after his discharge from the Air Force,” according to local reporting. Davis’s 2022 ads correctly describe him as a “former” member of the Air Force.
In response to the Reporter’s questions about the discrepancy, Davis’s campaign asked for clarification about where Davis’s ads use the term “retired.” Upon being sent the information, it stopped responding.
Davis’s opponent, Republican Laurie Buckhout, has long been touted as one of the GOP’s top recruit of the 2024 cycle. She, unlike Davis, can properly refer to herself in her ads as a “retired” member of the military — Buckhout served in the Army for 26 years in assignments around the world.
“It’s no coincidence that Don Davis is misrepresenting his service to try to match Laurie Buckhout’s military bona fides,” Delanie Bomar, a spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) told the Washington Reporter. “Don Davis owes an apology to North Carolina’s veterans and service members for lying for political gain.”
In races from the White House to the House of Representatives, Democratic candidates are under fire for inflating their military service records. Gov. and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz (D., Minn.) falsely claimed to have carried “weapons of war” in combat; Eugene Vindman, Republican Green Beret Derrick Anderson’s opponent in another top swing House seat, lied about being a retired colonel and about his time in combat in order “to advance his political career,” Anderson said; and Derek Tran, California Rep. Michelle Steel’s opponent, is taking flak for falsely describing his record as a how he characterizes his military services in his campaign.
