John Vincent
Role at the time: Democratic candidate for U.S. House in South Carolina's 7th district, in an emailed statement
Statement summary
John Vincent, the Democratic candidate for South Carolina's 7th congressional district and a retired Navy Command Master Chief, said in an emailed statement that he considers U.S. military action against Iran unconstitutional and would vote for a War Powers Resolution to remove U.S. forces, saying he would move to invoke it immediately after taking office.
“As the first Command Master Chief and the first enlisted submariner to ever be a nominee for federal office, I have, by definition, a unique view. The war must end; it was unconstitutional from day one.”
Read the full email
What action would you take in Congress? If a war powers resolution directing the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran came before the House, would you vote for it? As the first Command Master Chief and the first enlisted submariner to ever be a nominee for federal office, I have, by definition, a unique view. The war must end; it was unconstitutional from day one. The President used the word "war" to describe military actions on day one. Presidents wage war; they do not declare war. Immediately after taking office, I will move to invoke the war powers resolution. Since the tail end of my service, we began shifting to a much more cavalier attitude towards using military force. 1- Unless it is a clear, imminent threat to America, NO WAR 2-Unless we are willing to go all in, including boots on the ground, NO WAR 3-NO WAR unless it is approved by Americans through Congress. We may quote your response in an upcoming Dispute Index piece on the Iran war.
Emailed reply from congressional candidate John Vincent (SC-7), a retired Navy Command Master Chief, to a Dispute Index question about U.S. military involvement in Iran. He said the war is unconstitutional and he would move to invoke the War Powers Resolution if elected, saying he would vote for such a resolution.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
The case tracks support for continued U.S. military operations against Iran. Vincent calls the war unconstitutional and says he would vote for a War Powers Resolution to end it, so we labeled it Condemned.