What happens when an astronaut who’s seen Earth from 250 miles up—and an Air Force fighter pilot who’s defended it from the ground—decides that American democracy is now in more danger than at any point in his lifetime? In this conversation, Terry Virts makes a blunt, urgent case for why he’s running for Congress, why service still matters, and why the country needs leaders willing to put truth over tribe before it’s too late.
Listen on Apple Podcasts or here to choose where you tune in.
Visit Terry Virts on Substack.
Conversation Summary (AI generated from the transcript, edited for clarity)
INTRODUCTION
Narrator:
The Steady State Sentinel is produced by The Steady State—a community of former national security professionals dedicated to defending the Constitution and protecting U.S. democracy.
John Sipher:
Welcome back to The Steady State Sentinel. I’m John Sipher, former CIA operations officer and founder of Spycraft Entertainment.
Our guest today is Terry Virts—retired astronaut, former commander of the International Space Station, Air Force fighter pilot, and now a candidate for Congress in Texas’s 9th District.
SERVICE & ORIGINS
Sipher:
Service seems central to your life. Where did it begin?
Virts:
My sense of service started young. My family hosted exchange students from New Zealand and Spain. I studied French, loved foreign cultures. At 16, I lived in Finland through the AFS program—right on a lake facing the Soviet Union. Watching Soviet tourists monitored in lines stuck with me. After reading 1984, I saw the USSR as the “evil empire.”
At 17, I swore the oath and joined the Air Force. That oath still defines me.
THE DECISION TO RUN FOR OFFICE
Virts:
I got tired of yelling at Twitter. I’m not willing to watch the Constitution burn. What’s happening makes my head explode. I had to run.
Sipher:
What do you bring from non‑political service?
Virts:
Accountability. If my team is wrong, I say it. Whether it’s the Democratic Party—or the Church. Healthy organizations need truth-tellers. Yes‑men break countries. Just look at Russia.
ON PARTISANSHIP & COURAGE
Virts:
We need leaders like Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney who put country over party. America desperately needs courage. Too many politicians do the opposite.
CAMPAIGN LANDSCAPE IN TEXAS
Sipher:
Are you pressured by the party machine?
Virts:
When I ran for Senate? Absolutely. The national party said, “Fall in line.”
Running for House? They told me: “Run against us if you need to. Just win.” Refreshing. Even Nancy Pelosi reportedly told candidates in red districts: “Use me as the villain if it helps.”
Because if Democrats don’t start winning, we may not have future elections.
Virts:
Purity tests? Flush ’em. What works in Manhattan doesn’t work in my district—refineries, shipping channel workers, farmers, ranchers. Real people. Real problems.
AIR FORCE → NASA
Sipher:
Why the Air Force? And how did you become an astronaut?
Virts:
I grew up near the Naval Academy, but I chose the Air Force—I wanted to fly, not be on a ship with 5,000 roommates.
I flew F‑16s for 11 years in Korea, Germany, Iraq—pure operational flying. Then test pilot school. When NASA opened a class, I applied and got in as their youngest pilot.
A TALE OF TWO SPACECRAFT: SHUTTLE VS SOYUZ
Virts:
The Soyuz is tiny—basically a 1960s capsule with minimal upgrades. Mostly automated. The “control stick” doesn’t actually control anything; it’s there for emotional comfort.
Russian philosophy: execute instructions.
American philosophy: think, adapt, solve.
That difference explains a lot—from cockpit culture to battlefield outcomes.
Virts:
Even debriefs are different. In the U.S., rank disappears—you critique to get better.
In Russia, debriefs are about avoiding blame, because blame gets you reassigned… or worse. Centuries of fear-based culture.
THE STATE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Virts:
This is the most dangerous moment for America since the founding.
Our system is built on two principles:
All people are created equal.
Power comes from the people.
This administration is undermining both.
Gerrymandering flips the equation—politicians picking their voters.
Virts:
The Founders anticipated a would‑be king.
They did not anticipate a Congress that would surrender its power willingly.
That’s why checks and balances are failing.
WHY VOTERS SHOULD CARE ABOUT FOREIGN POLICY
Sipher:
Do foreign policy issues resonate in Texas?
Virts:
Honestly, voters talk about health care first. Then costs.
But foreign policy affects them. My district sends a lot of young people into the military. If we mismanage the world, they go to war.
Tariffs matter. Farmers matter. Ranchers matter.
Trump’s chaos shattered trust globally. Businesses need stability. Farmers lost markets they may never get back.
ON RECRUITMENT, EGO & NATIONAL SECURITY
Virts:
If you were recruiting someone as a spy—what vulnerabilities matter?
Sipher:
Ego is the biggest. People want to feel important. Trump is easy to read and manipulate—but impossible to manage as an intelligence asset. He’s undisciplined, erratic, and would blow his own cover immediately.
THE CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE
Virts:
Seeing top‑secret documents in a Mar‑a‑Lago bathroom made me physically ill.
Pilots guard classified materials with their lives.
To see them shoved in boxes, lied about, hidden from the FBI—mind‑blowing.
CALL TO SERVICE
Virts:
I tell young people: Don’t tell yourself no. We need you.
But it’s tragic—Fulbright scholars don’t want to join State.
The next generation sees institutions failing them.
We must reverse this. America’s greatness is not guaranteed.
HOW TO SUPPORT TERRY VIRTS
Visit TerryVirts.com for my launch video, platform, and donations.
Follow me at @AstroTerry.
Even simple actions—sharing posts, texting friends—matter.
CLOSING
Sipher:
Thanks for joining us, Terry. And thank you for stepping into the political arena when the country needs people with principles.
Narrator:
Subscribe to The Sentinel on Substack and follow The Steady State’s work protecting democracy and national security at www.thesteadystate.org.
