$7 million vs $6,800

Matt Baker spent 28 years as a Marine Corps infantry officer. Now he’s running for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd District as an independent — against a Republican with $7 million, a Democrat with $7 million, and a system that gave his campaign exactly zero mentions in the local paper. In a district where sailors deploy to the Iran forever war and families stay silent because they’re scared, Baker is doing what the parties refuse to do: showing up, taking questions, and refusing to pretend the fight is fair.

October 21, 2026

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Paul Rieckhoff sits down with retired Marine Colonel Matt Baker, the independent veteran running for Congress in Virginia’s 2nd…

The Brief

→ Four things from today’s episode

Why Matt Baker, a 28-year Marine infantry officer, decided t. Why Matt Baker, a 28-year Marine infantry officer, decided the polarization was finally bad enough to run

The $7 million vs $6,800 reality. and why the local paper didn’t even mention his name

“You can’t swing a cat without hitting a retired veteran”. inside Virginia’s 2nd District

The Iran forever war hitting home in Norfolk. ships at a bad state of readiness, deployments stretched past the breaking point