Yakhour is a former Aviation Warfare Systems operator and chief of staff for the Selective Service Administration
VANCOUVER — On Tuesday, United States Navy veteran, Trump Administration Appointee, and life-long Republican Wadi Yakhour officially launched his campaign for Washington’s 3rd Congressional District.
Yakhour joins Battle Ground resident Heidi St. John and Yacolt resident Joe Kent, also both Republicans, to announce challenges to the district’s current Representative, Jamie Herrera Beutler, who was one of 10 Republicans to recently vote to impeach President Trump.
“For the last four years, I have watched self-serving politicians fight only for themselves and the powerful special interests who control them, instead of the voters who put them in office,” said Yakhour, a Vancouver resident. “It is high-time our district and great Country have representatives who steadfastly stand up for their values.”
“Censorship and socialism have no place in the United States of America, free speech should be free, our elections must be made secure, and our schools and businesses should be open,” Yakhour added.
“One day, Jamie Herrera Beutler will make a great Biden Administration appointee, CNN contributor, or Lincoln Project Board Member – but she certainly no longer has a place representing the Republican party for Washington’s third district, and I am running to help her make that career change,” Yakhour concluded.
Yakhour considers himself a home-grown representative of Southwest Washington and its citizens, having moved to Vancouver with his family at the age of 11. Yakhour learned the importance of service to his local community and country at a young age as he watched his mother serve as Clark County deputy sheriff for nearly 20 years.
Following in her footsteps, Yakhour joined the Navy in 2008, where he served as an Aviation Warfare Systems Operator. During his service, he overcame severe injuries from survival training and went on to conduct missions in the Gulf Coast, South China Sea, and Central America across multiple deployments. He would later receive the Navy Achievement Medal in recognition of his service to the country.
Returning home as a veteran, Yakhour enrolled at Washington State University and continued to seek out ways to serve his community while earning his bachelor’s degree. Inspired by an outsider candidate who was willing to challenge the status quo, Yakhour began volunteering for the Trump campaign seven days a week, while simultaneously being a full-time student. Yakhour rose in the ranks and was eventually named communications director for the Western region.
Following Trump’s election in 2016, Yakhour was again called to serve his country, this time as a presidential appointee in the Trump Administration. He began his service on Inauguration Day in 2017 and went on to serve for the entire four-year term. During his tenure, Yakhour was appointed special assistant to the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Interior and also served as chief of staff at the Selective Service System.
Yakhour has now focused on his bid to unseat Herrera Beutler. His announcement stated that “having watched so many self-serving politicians fail to stand for their constituents and America’s values, Wadi decided it was finally time to just do it himself.’’
For more information, go to www.wadiforcongress.com.
