Dan Helmer is the son of an immigrant and the grandson of Holocaust survivors. After graduating from West Point, he served in Iraq and Afghanistan following 9/11. When Donald Trump was elected and began attacking American democracy, Dan quit his job to run for office—defeating a 17-year Republican incumbent in 2019. As a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Dan has championed gun violence prevention, passing universal background checks, red flag laws, and Virginia's first assault weapons ban. He led efforts to protect abortion rights, expand SNAP benefits, and make Virginia carbon-neutral by 2045. In 2025, as House Democratic Campaigns Chair, Dan delivered the largest and most diverse Democratic majority in Virginia in nearly 40 years—doing it all without taking a dime of corporate PAC money. Dan lives in Fairfax with his wife, Karen, an elementary school assistant principal, and their two sons, who attended Fairfax County public schools.