Vets for Freedom is an American political advocacy organization founded in 2006 by veterans of the Iraq and Afghan wars, with connections to Republican Party leaders.
[4] Vets for Freedom sponsored a full-page political ad in the Hartford Courant[clarification needed] on August 14, 2006[5] endorsing Democratic US senator Joe Lieberman and embarked on a television advertising campaign in Connecticut supportive of his reelection.
[9] In October 2008, Vets for Freedom paid for a multimillion-dollar ad campaign criticizing the presidential candidacy of Senator Barack Obama.
The Iraq and Afghanistan veterans running for office included Allen West (FL-22), Steve Stivers (OH-15), Jonathan Paton (AZ-8), Ilario Pantano (NC-7), Adam Kinzinger (IL-11), Joe Heck (NV-3), Chris Gibson (NY-20), Brian Rooney (MI-7), Kevin Calvey (OK-5), and Tim Griffin (AR-2).
[19] The National Journal reported that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, the third-richest man in America, had made a significant donation to Vets For Freedom.