ABOUT ADAM
A Life of Public Service
My name is Adam Dunigan and I'm running to be your Democratic nominee in Virginia's 8th Congressional District primary on June 16.
I'm new to politics and want to start by telling you my story.
I grew up working class in California. My upbringing was neither stable nor traditional, and I was a wild kid who spent more time in the Los Angeles punk scene than focusing on high school. After barely managing to graduate, I wanted a ticket out of town.
The fastest ticket was the Marine Corps. I enlisted at 18, becoming the third generation of my family to wear the uniform. My father received two Purple Hearts in Vietnam and my grandfather was a decorated flight medic during the Second World War. My family's history of service is something I take deep pride in.
The Marines shaped who I am today. My enlistment included a combat deployment to Afghanistan, a rotation in Japan, months at sea aboard an aircraft carrier, and plenty of time at Quantico and in the Carolinas. The military taught me discipline, showed me the world, and gave me a sense of camaraderie and family that I still carry to this day. That journey was the foundation of my education in life.
Some people say Marines eat crayons, which is true. What is also true is that I met Rhodes Scholars and PhDs working artillery batteries. I met self-taught mechanics who quoted classical literature. I served alongside men and women from all walks of life who were tough as nails and had all the raw materials to change the world. And then there was me — a skinny kid from Los Angeles in way over his head. But in the squad bay, where you'd find the full cross-section of America, I also learned we all ate from the same box of crayons.
My enlisted peers and commanding officers inspired me. I wanted to be better, to do more with my life. So I cleaned up my act.
While on active duty, I started my formal education, using voluntary military tuition assistance to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Social Psychology through a local university. I did well enough that later in life, I used my GI Bill to earn a Master's Degree in International Relations from Harvard.
In 2014, I left the Marines and moved to Virginia to begin a career in foreign policy and national security. Eventually, I joined the CIA and served as a case officer. In that capacity, I saw the very real threats facing our country. I made hard choices and lived tough days. But now, the real danger is here at home.
This is why after 17 years of military and government service, I resigned from the CIA to run for Congress. Because our democracy is backsliding and our elected leaders are either unwilling or unable to stop the authoritarian project currently underway.
I never wanted to be a politician. I have no interest in the spectacle of our current politics. But too much is at stake, especially when Congress continuously fails to protect Virginians in the 8th District.
From safeguarding the federal workforce from DOGE, confronting the affordability crisis, defending our educators and universities, reforming our healthcare system, and stopping the lawless excesses of ICE, the stakes could not be higher. If we fail to reverse the worst impulses of this administration, the progress we've fought so hard to achieve will be lost for generations.
My campaign is about making space for bold new ideas, which address the real issues we currently face. We need to free ourselves from the legacy of corporate politics, money, and the apathy of incumbency. Service should always be selfless, and the people who represent us in Congress must be held accountable to the communities who elect them. The Democratic Party must evolve or accept obsolescence. And in 2026, the men and women we send to Congress will determine which of those two paths we take. With the stakes this high, we need leaders who have the credibility, integrity, and grit that this moment demands.
As Virginians continue to confront one crisis after another from Washington, I haven't seen many politicians with the credibility, integrity, and grit to meet this moment. But if you give me the chance, I plan to be that kind of leader.
Virginia's 8th District is not just my home. It's a reflection of America at its best. Our commitment to new ideas, grounded in accountability, is the foundation for rebuilding trust in government and create real opportunities for all of us.
