Now in his second term in Congress, U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., is getting involved in elections held in other states.
This week, Mast went to bat for Rob Jones, a Republican hoping to challenge freshman U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va. Jones, like Mast, lost limbs when he served in Afghanistan. While Jones served in the Marines, Mast was in the Army.
Mast highlighted Jones in an email sent out to supporters on Monday.
“He just announced that he’s running for Congress in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District against a far-left Democrat who has voted with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez 93 percent of the time,” Mast wrote of Jones. “She’s a career politician who has put self-interest ahead of the national interest. Rob is the exact opposite, and that’s why he needs our help….Rob and I have been through similar struggles (the prosthetics give it away), so I know what it took for him to come back stronger. Since then, he has met every challenge with confidence despite his physical limitations.”
Mast slammed Wexton as a “well-funded, Nancy Pelosi disciple” who is a politician with a “personal agenda.”
Wexton, who represents parts of northern Virginia, is expected to be a top target for the GOP in 2020. She defeated two-term U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., last year. Comstock is not expected to run again after joining a lobbying firm following her defeat.
Representing a swing district, Mast could be a top target for the Democrats as he was in the past two election cycles.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.