Olivia Troye
In 2026, Olivia Troye is a Democratic candidate for Congress from Virginia with an uncommon political background. She was a homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to Republican Vice President Mike Pence before the disturbing policies she witnessed during the first Trump administration altered her political path.
A native of El Paso, Texas, Troye built a lengthy career protecting the United States from terrorist threats and violent extremism. She had worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations, giving her the perspective and credibility of a career public servant rather than a partisan operative.
While working for Pence during President Donald Trump’s first term, Troye was troubled by the cruelty of Trump’s policies, especially the separation of children from their parents at the border. Through her work with the White House Coronavirus Task Force, Troye had direct access to internal discussions during the COVID-19 crisis. Trump’s response to the suffering caused by the pandemic became the breaking point for her. She was sickened by the administration’s fixation on political optics and reelection prospects rather than the human cost of the virus. Troye later recalled Trump referring to the virus as a “good thing” because he no longer had to “shake hands with disgusting people.” She also witnessed efforts to politicize mask-wearing and pressure officials to minimize the danger posed by the disease. She resigned in disgust in August 2020.
Soon thereafter, Troye concluded that remaining silent would violate her oath to the Constitution. Placing principle above party loyalty, she went public with her warnings about what she saw as anti-democratic impulses and recklessness within the administration. Alongside figures such as Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and Miles Taylor, she became one of the few Republicans willing to confront Trumpism openly. In doing so, she sacrificed economic security, status, influence, and future opportunities in government service. A lawsuit widely viewed as an intimidation tactic against her was dismissed in early 2026.
Troye says it is difficult to ignore the parallels between today’s challenges and those in Europe in the 1930s. That is one reason she was actively involved in Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign, and why she is a candidate for Congress in 2026.
“I was at meetings where they wanted to fire the scientists who put out the accurate report on climate change. They wanted it revised. They wanted to just fire the scientists and hire some more. It’s just like we are seeing now with RFK Jr. and the vaccination board.”
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA, JULY 18, 2025