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Virginia — U.S. House District 7

Ricky (Rick) Smithers

U.S. Representative VA-07 (2026 R Candidate · pastor · construction company owner · veteran)
Republican Campaign Website →
Challenger
Currently running for U.S. House — Virginia District 7. Primary 2026-08-04 · General 2026-11-03. This race → Compare against other candidates →
🗺️ View on Virginia map
RESOLUTE Citizen Score
14 / 100 —
Raw: 14 of 16 dynamic max · 8 of 50 answered
Last verified: · from claim evidence
✝ God First 8/ 60
🇺🇸 America First 6/ 40
National Rank
#4,478 of 8,957 · top 50.0% among candidates with at least one scored answer
See the full rankings →

Contact This Official

Call(202) 225-3121Send MessageOfficial Page

💡 U.S. Capitol switchboard — ask for Representative Ricky (Rick) Smithers.

Reach out directly. Your voice matters. Proverbs 29:2 — When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.

Official Profile

Religion: Christian pastor
Background: Pastor and construction company owner; veteran; Franklin County resident who said he will relocate into VA-07 if nominated; 2019 Franklin Co. BOS bid; Aug 4 2026 R primary with Harding/Ollivant (VPAP 614281).
Ricky/Rick Smithers — 2026 R VA-07 (primary Aug 4 vs Harding/Ollivant; general vs Vindman). Pastor, construction owner, veteran. HARD: Cville Tomorrow — secure borders; Congress authorize prolonged force / last resort; data-center cost-causer-pays. 29News: supports Trump Iran military decision (FP restraint q4 FALSE). No HARD abortion/marriage/2A yet.

Category Breakdown

Sanctity of Life

0/10
Candidate affirms life begins at conception and personhood from conception
Not yet verified
Candidate has voted for or actively advocates abortion abolition (not merely restrictions)
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes embryonic stem-cell research, IVF embryo discard, and chimeric experimentation
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and quality-of-life rationing
Not yet verified
Candidate has never accepted Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY's List, or abortion-industry PAC funding
Not yet verified

Biblical Marriage

0/10
Candidate affirms marriage as exclusively the lifelong union of one man and one woman as instituted by God
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes all forms of same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships in law
Not yet verified
Candidate rejects transgender ideology and affirms biological sex (male/female) as immutable and God-given
Not yet verified
Candidate supports no-fault divorce reform and policies that strengthen the marriage covenant
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes promotion of LGBTQ+ identity in public policy, schools, military, and corporate-government partnerships
Not yet verified

Family & Child Sovereignty

2/10
Candidate supports universal school choice, homeschool freedom, and opposes compulsory public-school attendance
TRUE (+2)
1 claim

  1. At the June 2026 Fredericksburg forum, Smithers stated that parents should be the final decision-makers in their children's education and called for sharply limited federal involvement in schooling — aligning with the rubric's parental-rights and anti-federal-curriculum position.

    Verified 2026-07-21Dispute this claim
Candidate supports parental notification and consent on all medical, mental-health, and gender-related interventions for minors
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes CRT, SOGI, "comprehensive sex ed," and gender-ideology curricula in K-12 public schools
Not yet verified
Candidate supports age-verification on pornographic content and criminal penalties for sexualized content marketed to minors
Not yet verified
Candidate supports faith-based adoption/foster agencies and opposes placement of children with same-sex couples
Not yet verified

Christian Liberty

2/10
Candidate affirms the right to publicly profess Christ in all spheres (workplace, military, public office, schools)
TRUE (+2)
1 claim

  1. An ordained pastor who has built his 2026 congressional campaign on an explicitly faith-centered platform, describing himself as a man who believes 'Virginia deserves leadership built on faith in God, honesty, and real hard work,' and listing 'protecting religious liberties' among his top platform priorities alongside reducing federal spending and securing the border. As an active minister, Smithers anchors his candidacy in the principle of religious free exercise rather than government restriction of faith.

    Verified 2026-07-21Dispute this claim
Candidate supports conscience exemptions for Christian medical professionals, business owners, adoption agencies, and educators
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes compelled speech against Christian conviction (pronoun mandates, gospel-proclamation hate-speech laws)
Not yet verified
Candidate supports public-square Christian symbols, prayer in public bodies, and Sabbath/Sunday closure protections
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes state-funded promotion of non-Christian religious displays, curricula, or holidays in public institutions
Not yet verified

Economic Stewardship

2/10
Candidate opposes a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and supports cash and decentralized crypto as legal tender
Not yet verified
Candidate supports sound-money policies including gold/silver as constitutional money and audit/abolition of the Federal Reserve
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes deficit spending and supports a balanced-budget constitutional amendment
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate supports usury limits, anti-debt-slavery protections, and tithe-friendly tax structures
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes WEF/ESG/Davos economic capture and supports anti-trust action against monopolistic financial cartels
Not yet verified

Election Integrity

2/10
Candidate supports hand-counted paper ballots and opposes electronic voting machines
TRUE (+2)
1 claim

  1. Calls passing the SAVE Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) — requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship at voter registration and photo ID at the polls — a non-negotiable legislative priority, telling VPM News it is 'too important' to trade away in any negotiation.

    Verified 2026-07-21Dispute this claim
Candidate supports photo voter ID with citizenship verification
Not yet verified
Candidate supports single-day in-person voting with absentee only for verified medical/military exceptions
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes mass mail-in voting, drop boxes, and ballot harvesting
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes private election funding ("Zuckerbucks") and foreign-government election interference
Not yet verified

Border & Immigration

2/10
Candidate supports completed physical border barrier and active military border presence
TRUE (+2)[1]
1 claim

  1. At June 2026 candidate forums covering Virginia's 7th district race, Smithers explicitly stated the need to secure the border and called on Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — legislation requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship during voter registration — describing its passage as 'too important' and supporting President Trump's use of the bill as a negotiating priority. His campaign platform lists border security alongside fiscal discipline and veterans' care as a core commitment.

    Verified 2026-07-21Dispute this claim
Candidate supports mandatory deportation of all illegal aliens, including those who entered as minors
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes sanctuary city/state policies and supports federal preemption against them
Not yet verified
Candidate supports mandatory E-Verify for all employment and benefit eligibility
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes birthright citizenship for children of illegal aliens, tourist births, and opposes foreign ownership of U.S. farmland
Not yet verified

Self-Defense & 2A

2/10 ✉️ Petition your reps
Candidate supports constitutional carry without permit requirements
TRUE (+2)
1 claim

  1. At the June 17, 2026 Fredericksburg GOP candidate forum, Smithers strongly championed Second Amendment rights and specifically endorsed national concealed carry reciprocity, framing lawful armed self-defense as a core constituency priority — consistent with the rubric's constitutional-carry ideal.

    Verified 2026-07-21Dispute this claim
Candidate opposes red-flag laws, magazine limits, "assault weapons" bans, and gun registries
Not yet verified
Candidate supports repeal of the National Firearms Act (NFA), Gun Control Act (GCA), and other federal gun regulations
Not yet verified
Candidate supports castle doctrine and stand-your-ground laws with full civil immunity for lawful defense
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes ATF overreach, citizen disarmament initiatives, and U.N. small-arms treaty participation
Not yet verified

Foreign Policy Restraint

2/10
Candidate supports Article I congressional war-powers requirement before any U.S. military action
TRUE (+2)[1]
Candidate supports immediate withdrawal from forever wars and repeal of standing AUMFs
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes foreign aid to nations hostile to U.S. interests or actively persecuting Christians
Not yet verified
Candidate has never accepted donations from foreign-backed lobbies (e.g., AIPAC) or foreign-linked PACs
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes U.S. participation in WHO, U.N. governance overreach, NATO expansion, and supranational governance
FALSE (0)[2]

Industry Capture & Sovereignty

0/10
Candidate opposes pharmaceutical mandates of any kind (COVID, childhood, employer-required) and supports informed consent
Not yet verified
Candidate supports repeal of pharma liability shields (1986 NCVIA, PREP Act) and restoration of tort accountability
Not yet verified
Candidate opposes Big Ag consolidation (Bayer/Monsanto/Cargill) and supports anti-trust action against agricultural cartels
Not yet verified
Candidate supports raw-milk freedom, small-farm protections, and opposes USDA / EPA overreach against family farms
Not yet verified
Candidate supports defense-contractor accountability, completion of Pentagon audits, and ending revolving-door appointments
Not yet verified

Sources & Evidence

1 Reference5 Other
ricksmithersforcongress.com/Unclassified
VPAP — Virginia Public Access ProjectReference
www.29news.com/2026/06/10/three-republicans-vying-no...Unclassified
www.cvilletomorrow.org/qa-with-republican-primary-ca...Unclassified
Fredericksburg Free PressLocal News
virginia.gop/republican-party-of-virginia-announces-...Unclassified

Bias ratings sourced from AllSides and Ad Fontes Media. Classifications for government, reference, and advocacy domains are maintained by U.S.M.C. Ministries; see source_bias.json.

References & footnotes

Every answer above with a [n] marker corresponds to one of the footnotes below. Wayback-archive links preserve the page as it read at our access date so a reader can verify the citation even if the original URL changes or disappears.

  1. [1]
    Data centers pay own infrastructure; protect families from unnecessary rate hikes. Unclassified
    cvilletomorrow.org · accessed 2026-07-19 · Fetch Wayback archive
    Data centers pay own infrastructure; protect families from unnecessary rate hikes.
  2. [2]
    Supports Trump Iran military decision / offensive ME action. Unclassified
    29news.com · accessed 2026-07-19 · Fetch Wayback archive
    Supports Trump Iran military decision / offensive ME action.
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