Dave Beckwith
Won the August 4, 2026 Republican primary with 72.5% of the vote over Julie Perry, Anthony Suttles and Sam Wong.
Dave Beckwith is the Republican nominee challenging incumbent Suhas Subramanyam. A retired Air Force officer who later served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, he is running on tax relief, deficit reduction, an "all-of-the-above" energy strategy and support for law enforcement.[1]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Positions on the issues
- OpposesRaise taxes on high earners or corporations
Wants to keep the $40,000 SALT deduction permanent and index capital gains to inflation, which would reduce taxes for higher earners.[1]
- SupportsIncrease police funding and staffing
Says he will work to ensure prosecutors and judges hold repeat offenders accountable and supports deploying resources to address violent crime.[1]
- SupportsPublic funding for school choice (vouchers / charters)
Supports expanding school choice and vocational education and training.[1]
In their words — priorities
- Keeping the $40,000 SALT deduction permanent, indexing capital gains to inflation and simplifying the tax code.[1]
- An "all-of-the-above" energy strategy, including reinvestment in nuclear power.[1]
- Disciplined federal spending caps and opposing locking pandemic-era emergency spending into the permanent budget baseline.[1]
Background
- Served 30 years in the U.S. Air Force and later as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon, managing a $500 billion portfolio spanning space systems, nuclear and missile defense, and national intelligence.[1]
- Earned a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame and a Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton; is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.[1]