Aliscia Andrews, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps (USMC), is running for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District as a Republican, seeking to unseat freshman Democrat Rep. Jennifer Wexton, and if elected, would become the first female Marine elected to the U.S. Congress.

In an interview with The Daily Wire, Andrews, who has an MBA and Certificate in Cybersecurity Strategy Management from Georgetown, explains what inspired her to run for Congress and what goals she hopes to accomplish if elected.

Andrews, who was motivated to join the USMC after a high school friend of hers was killed while serving in the Army, served in the USMC across multiple continents including Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Andrews currently works with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a contractor and focuses on issues related to securing America’s borders.

As the 2019 year comes to a close #TEAMAndrews is ready to show up for #VA10 and take back the HILL. We need your help to make this happen join our fight, donate today, help flip VA Red because #WEmatter ➡️https://t.co/T348wFfDPV pic.twitter.com/8NZyOS6ZYa — Aliscia Andrews VA10 (R) Congressional Candidate (@alisciaandrews) December 26, 2019

The following is The Daily Wire’s interview with Aliscia Andrews:

1. What inspired you to get into politics?

I served our country in the Marines and I currently work with the Department of Homeland Security and Intelligence community focusing on border security issues. Commitment and service to our Country has always been in my blood. But every day I see more and more problems and less solutions. For me, running for office is just one more way I can serve my nation and solve the problems we face as a country, whether that’s guns, healthcare, immigration or national security. We’ve seen, over the course of the past few years, this dangerous and lawless ideology pushed by the socialist-wing of the Democrat Party. Our law enforcement officers go out there every day to protect and serve our communities yet elected officials and the government don’t have their backs. We are a nation of law and order and it’s time to remind everyone of that.

2. Talk a little about your experience as a Marine. What led you to become a Marine? What specifically did you do in the Marines?

I grew up in a military family. My father was in the Air Force. It was instilled in me at an early age to have a servant’s heart. I’ve always felt a calling to serve. When I was younger, a high school friend made the ultimate sacrifice. For me, that was the deciding moment to join USMC. I was deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. I traveled to the Haiti, the Middle East, the Horn of Africa and Europe during my service to our country. I’ve seen firsthand the freedoms that we enjoy and just how precious they are.

3. You are running to unseat Democrat Rep. Jennifer Wexton in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. In what areas do you think she has fallen short in serving the people of your district?

Most importantly she doesn’t represent the issues that matter to the people of Northern Virginia. She’s taken on radical leftist positions when the people that sent her to Congress don’t share the same ideology. The single biggest issue is immigration. She’s out there advocating for open borders and lawlessness. A couple months ago a law enforcement officer was suspended for turning an illegal immigrant with deportation papers over to ICE. Jennifer Wexton was nowhere to be found. She’s promoting a society that encourages anarchy over the rule of law. I am unapologetically a supporter of our 2nd amendment. Jennifer Wexton wants to violate our 4th amendment rights and require credit card companies to notify the government if someone legally purchases a firearm, essentially creating a government database of gun owners. She enables partisan politics and obstructionism. She doesn’t want to find a common ground solution and she would rather side with the fringes of her party than allow our country to solve problems and unify.

4. What are the top three issues for voters in your district and how do you plan on addressing those issues?

Issue #1 — Immigration: I will vote for any bill that allocates funding to securing our border, whether that be a wall, technology or personnel. I will support legislation that allows local law enforcement to cooperate with their federal partners and allow them to do their jobs without restraint. We also need to end sanctuary cities to get illegal criminal aliens off our streets.

Issue #2 — National Security: The primary responsibility of the federal government is to protect its citizens. It is of the utmost importance that we have a fully-funded and operational military. Our armed forces are the greatest deterrent we have. When we are strong abroad, we’re strong at home. We need to make sure we maintain our military dominance over China, Russia North Korea, and Iran.

Issue #3 — Economy and Trade: Our economy is booming thanks to President Trump. The stock market is hitting record highs; unemployment as a whole and for minority groups is at an all-time low. We need to continue to find ways to allow Americans to keep more of their money, as well as cut regulation on small businesses so companies can grow and aren’t restricted.

Issue #4 — Second Amendment: With Democrats taking control on the state legislature, and the radicals of the national Democrat Party telling law-abiding citizens they are going to forcibly confiscate our guns, we need a strong advocate of our 2nd amendment in office. I will never vote to infringe on our God-given right. I support the counties in Virginia who are in favor of becoming 2nd amendment sanctuaries and have rallied in support of doing so.

5. What are the issues that are the most important to you on a personal level?

Immigration to me is the most important. I work with DHS and see firsthand the violence and horror that occurs at our southern border. We’ve seen countless stories where illegal immigrants commit crimes where American citizens are killed. We have criminal gangs pouring across our border, an unmitigated flow of drugs that plague communities. And to top it off, our law enforcement isn’t even allowed to turn illegals over to the feds to deport those with federal detainers. This is not the country I want my children to grow up in.

6. Why should minorities, women, and young people vote Republican and how do you plan to reach them?

Everyone should vote for Republicans for one simple reason: individual liberty and freedom. I served in the Marines to defend these sacred rights. Democrats want one thing: government control over every aspect of life and to control the value of each citizen. It’s up to us to educate and explain what that means to everyone. High taxes, government-run healthcare and industry, no ownership of private or intellectual property and a globalist agenda that puts America and its citizens last.

7. How should the GOP respond to some of the issues, like healthcare and student debt, that Democrats propose addressing with socialist policies?

Make sure everyone knows this is fantasy and not reality. We cannot tax our way to solving problems. For healthcare, we should educate young voters on the VA. That’s a government-run healthcare system and veterans are left hanging out to dry because of its inefficiency and wasteful spending. That’s what Democrats want for the everyday Americans. For education, we need to invest in our trade schools and make sure students know their options before taking out a loan they will struggle to pay off. Most importantly, we need to lay out the harmful results of AOC’s socialist answers – Medicare-for-All and free tuition will not solve the problems. They will only put the price tags on the backs of everyday working Americans.

8. What do you view as the greatest threat the United States both from a foreign and a domestic standpoint?

The greatest threat to America is the rise of socialism in our country. These people want a total government take-over with no regard for the freedoms so many of us take for granted. They want to take away our way of life. Their victory guarantees a globalist agenda, lawlessness and the inability to protect ourselves from tyrants. If we do not fight back against this narrative, our country is on a dangerous path.

9. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish with respect to policy?

a. First and foremost, immigration, and that starts at our border and support of our federal officers. We need to reform our asylum loopholes and invest in border personnel and technology to curb the flow of drugs, counterfeit goods and illegal immigrants entering our country.

b. I would make sure our military is properly funded and we never sequester our military’s budget again. We are only as safe as those who are defending us are strong.

c. Ensure our police officers and law enforcement officials aren’t restrained by unreasonable laws as they protect our communities.

10. A lot of the narrative surrounding the climate has come from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and her proposed “Green New Deal,” which her former chief-of-staff even admitted was about implementing socialism. The “Green New Deal” is a socialist vision that the Democrat Party is trying to sell to America. How do you counter that? What is your vision for America?

To start we need to tell people that $93 trillion dollars doesn’t appear out of thin air, that we can’t ban air travel or stop cows from flatulating, and it is not the government’s responsibility to guarantee you a job. I have three young children; I want this country to be the safest and most prosperous it can be. For me, that means protecting our freedoms and ensuring every American understands how that relates to our society. We are the greatest country in the world. We can find solutions to healthcare and immigration or gun violence and student debt just as we’ve solved problems in the past. But that requires everyone to work together instead of playing obstructionist.

11. What areas of the Republican Party’s platform do you think need to be addressed, and/or changed?

I think we need to refocus our platform when it comes to the federal budget. We campaigned for years about our national debt being too high, but it is still rising. We need to get serious about cutting wasteful spending and reducing the deficit before it’s too late. We also have to start talking to groups that haven’t heard from Republicans. President Trump has done great things for women and minority candidates. We need to do a better job of relaying those successes and giving those voters a reason to be Republican.

12. What do you think about what is going on in your state where Democrats are promoting extreme anti-gun policies? What are your views on the Second Amendment? How do you plan on protecting the rights and freedoms of your constituents?

It is an assault on our freedoms and Constitution. There is no other way to put it. We have thousands of gun owners in Virginia that are law-abiding citizens. You wouldn’t even know they were gun owners unless they told you. I believe in and support our Second Amendment. Guns are a line of defense against intruders, attackers and in the worst-case scenario, a tyrant. But this is what happens when you have one-party rule. The rush to a problem is always the extreme. I’ve attended the rallies in support of our sanctuary counties. Unlike sanctuary cities, we’re defending a right we have, not the nonexistent rights on non-citizens. I will support legislation that prohibits the restricting of our 2nd amendment and I will vote against any legislation that does restrict our right.