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U.S. Rep. Ruben Gallego, an Iraq War veteran and vice-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, is supporting Democratic candidate Francis Conole in the 24th Congressional District race.

Gallego, an Arizona Democrat, is the second current or former member of Congress who is also an Iraq War veteran to endorse Conole, D-Syracuse, for Congress. Former U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, who was the first Iraq War veteran elected to Congress, endorsed Conole last year.

Conole, a U.S. Navy veteran, served in Iraq with Army Special Forces. Before returning to central New York, he was a defense policy adviser at the Pentagon.

"Both Francis and I took an oath to protect and defend the United States Constitution in the military, including before deploying to Iraq," Gallego said in a statement. "Now more than ever, we need that same commitment to service in Congress."

Conole, Gallego continued, will "make it his mission to deliver bold progressive and pragmatic solutions that bring good-paying jobs to working people, tackle rising costs of health care and prescription drugs, and provide access to affordable higher education."