VoteVets Endorses Paratrooper Zach Beecher for Congress in NJ-11

Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton slams Trump’s Venezuela escalation as “Iraq 2.0,” praises Beecher as the voice Congress needs to stop endless wars and their costs as NJ families struggle

MORRISTOWN, NJ – Today, VoteVets, the largest Democratic group of veterans in America, announced their endorsement of Zach Beecher in the special election for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District. The endorsement arrives as President Trump escalates military action in Venezuela—a move VoteVets Board Chair Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton condemned “Iraq 2.0.”

“Zach Beecher knows the true cost of war because he paid his dues on the ground in Mosul,” said Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton, VoteVets Senior Advisor. “We are watching President Trump stumble into a disaster in Venezuela that looks and smells exactly like Iraq 2.0. We need leaders in Congress who have actually worn the uniform and understand that ‘shock and awe’ isn’t a strategy—it’s a prelude to a quagmire. Zach has the courage to stand up to this administration and the experience to keep us out of another forever war. He is the clear choice for New Jersey.”

Beecher, a former paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division who earned a Bronze Star for his service during the liberation of Mosul, accepted the endorsement with a sharp rebuke of the administration’s misplaced priorities.

“I deployed to Iraq nearly 15 years after that war began—fighting a battle started without a plan and continued without an end in sight,” said Zach Beecher. “That is the definition of a forever war. I saw firsthand what happens when policy is driven by ego rather than strategy: the mission never ends, and the troops continue to pay the price. We cannot let Venezuela become the next chapter in that story.”

Beecher continued, highlighting the economic disconnect between the administration’s foreign policy and the reality for New Jerseyans.

“While the President promises massive subsidies to oil companies to support this reckless escalation, families here in New Jersey are struggling to pay their energy bills. While he finds billions for a new conflict, his administration is firing staff at the VA and cutting support for the very people he sends into harm’s way. We need to stop subsidizing chaos abroad and start investing in our families at home.”