Olivia Troye, former Pence adviser turned Trump critic, launches Democratic bid for US House from Virginia

Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, announced Tuesday that she would run for Congress as a Democrat in Virginia’s proposed new 7th District, pending passage of a sweeping redistricting referendum this month.

Troye publicly broke with the Republican Party in 2020 after serving in political and national security roles, signing onto a letter with more than 130 fellow GOP officials endorsing Joe Biden’s campaign and arguing that “Donald Trump has failed our country.”

In the years since, Troye has emerged as an outspoken critic of the Republican Party under Trump. She was a featured speaker at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

“The evil I saw in that White House was staggering. In 2020, I finally said ‘enough,’” Troye said in a video announcing her congressional bid. “Trump doesn’t scare me. I took him on when it mattered the most, and I’m ready to do it again.”