Nick Freitas, the liberty-minded conservative who is challenging Senator Tim Kaine in Virginia, has just been endorsed by Senator Rand Paul — who referred to the former Green Beret as “the real deal.”

The Gateway Pundit spoke to Freitas following the endorsement to find out more about where he stands on the issues.

“Nick Freitas is the real deal and I urge liberty conservatives and those who believe in the constitution and limited government to rally to his cause and campaign,” Senator Paul said in a statement provided to the Gateway Pundit on Friday. “Through his involvement in politics and as a delegate, Nick has stood firm to principals while showing he is willing to work hard and fight for what he believes in. Liberty must be defended, and Nick has proven that he is up to the task.”

Freitas told The Gateway Pundit that he is thrilled about the endorsement — not only for campaign purposes, but on a personal level as well. He stated that there are not a lot of politicians he really admires, but that Senator Paul is certainly one of them.

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When asked where he stands on President Donald Trump, Freitas stated that he agrees with him “on a lot of the core areas of his policy positions” and believes that he has done a great job so far on many issues.

“First of all, I think the tax reform policy was very good. It was definitely a step in the right direction and probably the most comprehensive tax reform that we have had since the Reagan years. I’m very supportive that and of his regulatory policy,” Freitas said. “We have been fighting for a similar regulatory policy down in Virginia and Donald Trump has done a fantastic job with that. I don’t think people realize how much regulations stand in the way of not only of existing businesses, but emerging ones as well. I think Trump has made good on those campaign promises and it has been incredible.”

As far as immigration, Freitas also appeared to be in line with the president’s agenda.

“I think with immigration we obviously have a long way to go, but once again, Trump understands that there are two components to this — there’s the border security component and the immigration policy component. While the media has done everything they can to make Trump look like he’s anti-immigrant, I don’t think he is at all. I think he just understands that we have to have a consistent and coherent legal process when it comes to immigration and as any sovereign nation does, we have a right to protect our borders,” Freitas told the Gateway Pundit. “Certainly in an age of terrorism that necessity is even more important.”

Freitas will be running against Corey Stewart for the Republican nomination, but refused to sling mud against a fellow conservative.

“One thing I constantly tell people is that in the Republican Party of Virginia, one of the biggest problems that we have is what I affectionately refer to as ‘the circular firing squad.’ Every primary or convention the candidates tear each other apart and engage in character assassination instead of politely demonstrating their differences. I’m not going to do that. What I will say is that Corey and I have different philosophies with respect to the proper role of government in certain areas,” he said.

Some of those differences, Freitas said, are that he’s “an extremely liberty-minded Republican. I think that the proper role of government is to protect our individual liberty, to protect our property rights and provide equal protection before the law. When the government tries to get involved in every other aspect of our lives, especially at the federal level, it causes a lot of problems and violates not only that sacred trust with the electorate, but also violates the constitution.”

The candidate explained that he believes the future of the Republican Party will be more focused on liberty and that is where he fits in. He is both a life-member of the National Rifle Association and a member of the Heritage Foundation.

“Fighting against onerous regulations and fighting against cronyism is very important to me,” Freitas said.

Freitas has been wildly popular in his community, and was overwhelmingly elected to a second term in the House of Delegates last year. He has had great success not only working with Republicans, but also with people and groups that lean left of center. “When it comes to carrying legislation and getting it signed into law, even by a Democratic governor, I have a very good track record,” he said.

Freitas served with the 82nd Airborne Division and 25th Light Infantry Division as an Infantryman. Following the terror attack on September 11 2001, Nick volunteered for US Army Special Forces (Green Berets) and eventually served 2 tours in Iraq as a Special Forces Weapons Sergeant and Special Forces Intelligence Sergeant.

“I’m a combat veteran so national defense is very important to me, but it’s important to me that we abide by the Constitution when we are engaging in operations. We need to make sure that we are doing so with the best interest of the United States in mind and not just engaging in run-of-the-mill nation building.”

After being honorably discharged in 2009, Freitas became the Director of Operations for a disabled veteran owned company that provides direct support to our service men and women conducting counter insurgency and counter IED operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Another issue that is important to Freitas, a father of three, is education reform. This topic is especially dear to him, as he has worked as a teacher in a homeschool co-op in Virginia. He believes that there should be a marketplace for education, school choice, which would allow teachers and parents to make more decisions in the classroom instead of politicians.

“One of the things that I like to point out is that when the government wanted to feed hungry people they didn’t open up 10,000 grocery stores and make you shop at one based on your address,” Freitas said. “They gave people a voucher for food, and then they allowed the market to meet the demand.”

He explained that the government has done the exact opposite for education, which leaves little options for the poor. “You’re stuck with whatever the government assigns you,” he said.

More information about Freitas’ campaign can be found on his website, Facebook and Twitter. He is constantly updating his social media with videos and information about where he stands on specific issues.

“I’ve proven both on the battlefield overseas and on the battlefield of ideas, I am willing to stand by what I believe in and fight for it,” Freitas stated.