Bert Mizusawa, a retired Army major general and attorney, won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Virginia and will face Democrat Mark R. Warner in the Nov. 3 general election.

Mizusawa won the Republican primary on Aug. 4 with 51.5% of the vote (122,034 votes), defeating David Williams and Kim Farington, according to Ballotpedia. He is certified for the general election ballot.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Born: January 1957, Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Education: Kecoughtan High School (1975); bachelor's degree, United States Military Academy at West Point (1979); juris doctor, Harvard University (1989); master of public policy, Harvard Kennedy School (1989)
  • Residence: Virginia

Experience and public service

Mizusawa served in the U.S. Army from 1979 to 2015, retiring as a major general, according to Wikipedia. He was awarded the Silver Star in 1984 for leading a Soviet defector to safety across the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom, Korea, while under attack from North Korean soldiers. He also held two appointments as a MacArthur Fellow in international security at the Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

Mizusawa worked as an attorney at Sullivan & Cromwell from 1990 to 1994, according to Wikipedia. He said on his campaign website that he served as a professional staff member on the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services from 1995 to 1998 and as deputy under secretary of the Army from 1998 to 2001. He commanded the Combined Joint Interagency Task Force in Afghanistan from 2014 to 2015, according to his campaign website.

Mizusawa served as a senior advisor at the Central Intelligence Agency from 2020 to 2021 and is president of Paxcentric Inc., a role he has held since 2021, according to BallotReady.

On the issues

The following positions are Mizusawa's own statements from questionnaire responses on Ballotpedia and his campaign website.

Fiscal responsibility and national debt: Mizusawa said the national debt has more than tripled since Warner joined the Senate. He said he would focus government on core functions and bring excessive spending under control.

Defense and veterans: Mizusawa said Virginia needs a pro-military senator. He said he graduated first in his class at West Point, was promoted to major general in 2011, authored what he called the Trump doctrine for foreign policy and was appointed senior advisor for national security technology and business integration at the CIA.

Immigration: Mizusawa said borders must be kept secure while making legal immigration easier. He said those who legally immigrate should be prepared to assimilate to the American way of life.

Taxes and budget: "The tax code is overly complex and burdensome," Mizusawa said in his questionnaire response. "You should not need to hire a CPA to understand your tax liability." He said he supports a simpler tax code with fewer brackets and larger standard deductions.

Energy: Mizusawa said he supports bringing new nuclear power online to reduce energy costs for American households. He called nuclear power clean, cheap, reliable and safe.

Guns: Mizusawa said the constitutional right to keep and bear arms is key to the security of freedom. He said he would defend citizen self-defense rights and fight any effort to infringe on that right.

Mizusawa's full issue positions are available on his campaign website and through Ballotpedia.