Bree Fram Ends Run For Congress After Virginia’s Redistricting
Fram cites the Supreme Court of Virginia’s recent ruling, overturning the new congressional map, as the decisive factor for her withdrawal from the race.
Featured Image: Official Department of the Air Force Photo/ Courtesy of Bree Fram
Col. Bree Fram was forced out of the military last December, after more than 23 years in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force. She had no choice but to retire. Despite consistently ranking at the top of her class, Fram was told she no longer met the administration’s standard for “Military Excellence and Readiness.” Such was the new Defense Department policy that pushed out thousands of service members like herself— talented and dedicated military personnel who happen to be transgender.
As GO previously reported, it was a heartening, though not surprising, pivot for Bree Fram in January, when she chose to channel the discipline she had honed in the service toward a new venture: a bid for U.S. Congress. On Wed., May 13, those plans changed. She announced her withdrawal for the race for Congress in Virginia’s 11th District.
“I am incredibly proud of what this campaign stood for and how we pursued bold ideas to improve the lives of Americans,” said Fram, in a written statement. “We ran a campaign based on the belief that Americans deserve courageous leaders willing to confront our biggest challenges directly.”
The decisive factor, Fram notes, was the recent ruling by the Supreme Court of Virginia which overturned the Commonwealth’s new congressional map.
Image: courtesy of Col. Bree Fram via Bree Fram substack
“I am deeply disappointed by the Court’s decision to overturn the map approved by Virginia voters and the consequences it could have on the country,” Fram said. “With only five weeks before early primary voting, the ruling left this campaign without sufficient time and resources to meaningfully pivot to the previous district and have the kind of substantive debate voters deserve. After months of pouring my heart into this race, this is not the outcome I hoped for.”
Related: Ousted From Military For Being Trans, Bree Fram Is Now Making Congressional Bid
Fram thanked everyone who believed in her campaign – volunteers, donors, supporters who hosted events and encouraged her when she needed it most. On Facebook, she drew from the courage of her grandfather – a refugee from Nazi Germany – who inspired with his valor. “He came forward as soon as he was able and said, ‘Send me back.'” He was there when she was commissioned into the U.S. Air Force, the start of a brilliant career cut short by an administration intent on wiping transgender people off the map.
What does the future hold for Fram?
“I was fully engaged on this effort into today, so it’s going to take a while to figure out what’s next, but I can guarantee I’ll stay in the fight with everything I have,” Fram tells GO. “If that means supporting other candidates, I’m all in.”
We know she will be bringing immense fortitude and intelligence to the battle.
Satellite and technology programs are just a few of the spaces where Fram has left a hero’s footprint. A literal rocket scientist, she led billion-dollar national security programs at the Pentagon. As an astronautical engineer and Colonel in the U.S. Space Force, she also served in a Research and Development command position and an oversight role for all Air Force security cooperation activity with Iraq. She was deployed on several tours to the Middle East as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her assignments included testing new technologies to protect convoys from improvised explosive devices.
Fram has also been recognized as the highest ranking transgender member of the U.S. Department of Defense.
Fram shared on Facebook that after her commission, her grandfather gave her one of his Bronze Stars, framed. Overlaid on the frame were these words: “Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day that says: I will do my best again, tomorrow.”
Like her grandfather who gave Fram her very first salute when she was an officer, we here at GO salute her.
Thank you, Bree Fram for your service, past and present, and for the noble work you will continue to do as you fight for change.
