VIRGINIA’S 7TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT — Olivia Troye, a former adviser to Vice President Mike Pence, announced on April 14, 2026, that she is running for Congress as a Democrat in Virginia's new 7th Congressional District. Troye, who served in Pence's office working on national security and Covid-19, left the White House in the summer of 2020 and became a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

In her campaign launch video, Troye said she is the daughter of a truck driver and a Mexican immigrant. "The evil I saw in that White House was staggering. In 2020, I finally said, 'Enough.' And they came for me," she said. She added: "I believe in fighting for what's right — for those who can't fight for themselves. That's why I'm a Democrat, and that's why I'm running for Congress."

Troye began her career in Republican politics, working for the Republican National Committee and the George W. Bush administration. She also served as an intelligence officer before joining Pence's office as an aide focused on national security and the Covid-19 response.

After leaving the White House in the summer of 2020, Troye announced she would vote for Democratic nominee Joe Biden in that year's election. She appeared in an advertisement criticizing Trump and encouraging Republicans to vote against him. The White House at the time moved to discredit her and claimed she had been fired from her position. Troye has disputed that claim.

Virginia's new 7th Congressional District stretches south from the Washington suburbs to include Harrisburg and areas around Richmond. The district voted for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by 8 percentage points in the 2024 election, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Dorothy McAuliffe is also a candidate in the Democratic primary for the seat.