Episode Introduction
Orlando Sonza opened this episode of Breaking Battlegrounds by explaining how an eighth-grade family trip to West Point set the course of his life. Sam Stone and Chuck Warren spoke with the Army veteran and Cincinnati-area Republican as he began his campaign for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District. The conversation covered his military service, his wife Jessica’s parallel path through the academy, and his view that immigrant families remain some of the strongest believers in the American dream. The second half shifted to law and politics. Washington Post columnist Jason Willick joined to discuss Hunter Biden and the criminal indictments against Donald Trump. The episode was recorded on August 20, 2023, a week after Trump’s fourth indictment.
Quick Answer
On Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast 151, recorded August 20, 2023, Army veteran and West Point graduate Orlando Sonza discussed his campaign for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, his military service, and immigrant patriotism. Washington Post columnist Jason Willick then analyzed the Hunter Biden investigation and the criminal indictments against Donald Trump. Sonza later won the Republican nomination but lost the November 2024 general election to Rep. Greg Landsman.
Episode Overview
Podcast 151 pairs a first-time congressional candidate with a legal and political columnist.
Sam Stone started the interview alone while Chuck Warren was out of the studio. He asked Orlando Sonza, a second-generation Filipino American raised in New Jersey, why he chose West Point. Sonza described his path through Junior ROTC, his systems engineering minor, and meeting his wife Jessica at the academy. The two commissioned together as second lieutenants. Once Warren joined, the conversation turned to patriotism in immigrant families, the American dream, and how Sonza’s career prepared him for Congress.
Jason Willick, who writes about legal issues, political ideas and foreign affairs for The Washington Post, then joined to discuss Hunter Biden and the Trump indictments. Both stories were dominating legal and political news in August 2023.
About Orlando Sonza
Orlando Sonza is a second-generation Filipino American who grew up in New Jersey and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in the top ten of his class, with a major in political science and a minor in systems engineering. After commissioning, he served on active duty as an Infantry Officer and Finance Officer with the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia.
His later resume includes serving as a Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor and co-founding a local financial planning firm with a certification in public accounting. In 2022, Sonza ran for State Senate but lost. He and Jessica have four children.
Sonza was a candidate for Ohio’s 1st District when he recorded this episode and went on to become the Republican nominee. In the November 2024 general election, Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman was reelected, holding a southwest Ohio district Republicans had hoped to reclaim. The final result was 54.6% for Landsman and 45.4% for Sonza. Sonza was endorsed by Gov. Mike DeWine and other top Ohio Republicans.
During the campaign, Sonza also took on a public role in veterans’ services. The Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission appointed him executive director, and his first day on the job was May 31, 2024. He remained in that role through 2025, overseeing a new transportation program that brings veterans to medical appointments.
About Jason Willick
Jason Willick is a columnist for The Washington Post. The Post announced his hiring as a staff columnist in February 2022. He is a Stanford University graduate who previously worked as an editorial writer and assistant editorial features editor at The Wall Street Journal, and before that as a staff writer and associate editor at The American Interest. His work has also appeared in National Review, National Affairs and Modern Age. He was still writing for the Post in 2026: in May 2026, The Volokh Conspiracy covered his response to a dispute over a Supreme Court argument.
Willick has appeared on Breaking Battlegrounds more than once. He returned for Podcast 202 on Kamala Harris’ record and Podcast 205 on Harris’ dodged policy questions, both in August 2024.
Key Topics Discussed
- Orlando Sonza’s 2023 to 2024 campaign for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District
- His path from Junior ROTC to West Point and active-duty Army service
- Systems engineering as a framework for solving complex public problems
- Patriotism and military service in immigrant families
- Whether the American dream is still alive, and who believes in it
- The Hunter Biden investigation as of August 2023
- The four criminal indictments against Donald Trump
From Green Army Men to West Point
Sonza said he knew early that he wanted to join the Army. He joked with Sam Stone that he started with the little green plastic soldiers. The decisive moment came in eighth grade, on a family trip from New Jersey to the Bear Mountain area. Watching the cadets march, with the Hudson River below, he decided that was where he was going. Junior ROTC in high school kept him on that path.
Stone asked him to explain systems engineering for listeners. Sonza said it is another name for industrial engineering. At its core, he said, it teaches how to solve complex problems in business or manufacturing. Every West Point cadet had to minor in an engineering discipline, and he chose the one built around problem solving.
A Military Family From the Start
Jessica Sonza, a Cincinnati native with Mexican and Filipino American roots, also went to West Point. According to Sonza, the two were classmates who commissioned together, graduated together and served about five years together. He called her his best friend and his partner in the campaign. Public service and servant leadership, he told the hosts, run in the family.
The couple later settled in Jessica’s hometown. That prompted Stone’s most important Cincinnati question: had Sonza converted to chili on spaghetti? He said it is “Skyline all the way.” He first tasted it in a bib, sitting across from his future father-in-law while asking for permission to marry Jessica. The cinnamon in the chili shocked him at first. He got the blessing anyway and has since acquired the taste.
Immigrant Families and the American Dream
After Chuck Warren joined the studio, Stone raised a theme the hosts return to often: recent immigrant families who serve in the military frequently show as much patriotism as families who have been here for generations. Warren added that they show more.
Sonza agreed. He called the opposite idea a false narrative pushed by left-leaning media and said immigrant patriotism is not new. In his view, families with an immigrant story carry a love of country, a commitment to hard work and a belief that a person can start with nothing and reach the American dream. He said he saw that growing up in New Jersey and that Jessica saw it in her own family.
Stone tied the point to a recurring argument on the show. Many Americans say the American dream is dead. Immigrants, Warren said, are the demographic that still believes in it.
Warren then asked Sonza how each stage of his career, beginning with West Point and the Army, would help him serve constituents in Cincinnati.
Jason Willick on Hunter Biden and the Trump Indictments
Jason Willick joined the second half of the episode to discuss two legal stories that were shaping the 2024 race. According to the episode overview, he discussed the Hunter Biden matter and the criminal indictments against Donald Trump.
The timing matters for anyone revisiting this conversation. The episode was recorded on August 20, 2023. The following summary is outside context, not a description of Willick’s remarks.
| Case (as of August 20, 2023) | Status at recording |
|---|---|
| Manhattan DA business records case | Indicted April 2023 |
| Federal classified documents case | Indicted June 2023 |
| Federal 2020 election case (Jack Smith) | Indicted August 1, 2023 |
| Georgia election interference case (Fulton County) | Indicted August 14, 2023 |
| Hunter Biden | Plea agreement collapsed in July 2023; David Weiss named special counsel on August 11, 2023 |
What Happened Next
Much has changed since this episode aired. Trump was convicted in the Manhattan case in May 2024. Special counsel Jack Smith dropped the federal election interference case and the classified documents case after Trump’s 2024 reelection, because he concluded it would be illegal to continue prosecuting him after he took office.
The Georgia case ended in November 2025. Defense attorneys appealed, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Fani Willis from the case in December 2024. A judge then dismissed the case after the prosecutor who took over said he would not pursue the charges.
Hunter Biden was convicted on federal gun charges in June 2024 and pleaded guilty to tax charges that September. President Biden pardoned him on December 1, 2024.
In Ohio, Sonza won the Republican nomination for the 1st District but lost to Landsman. It marked only the third time a Democrat had won the Cincinnati-area district since 1994.
Key Takeaways From the Conversation
- Sonza traces his commitment to the Army to an eighth-grade visit to West Point.
- He describes systems engineering as complex problem solving and presents that training as relevant to public office.
- He and his wife Jessica both graduated from West Point, commissioned together and served about five years together.
- Sonza called the idea that immigrant patriotism is a recent development “a false narrative.” He argued that immigrant families have shown it for decades.
- Sam Stone and Chuck Warren argued that immigrants are among the strongest believers in the American dream.
- Jason Willick analyzed Hunter Biden and the Trump indictments at a point when all four Trump cases were active.
Listen to the Episode
Related Breaking Battlegrounds Episodes
Jason Willick returned a year later in Podcast 202: Jason Willick on Harris’ Record and CNN’s “Fact-Check”. He came back again for Podcast 205 with Henry Olsen and Noah Rothman. For the Trump cases, Podcast 192 with Josh Williams and Dan McLaughlin examined the impact of the Manhattan trial. Podcast 190 with Josh Hammer covered problems in the Fulton County case. Listeners interested in Ohio politics and the American dream theme can continue with Podcast 191 featuring Bernie Moreno.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Orlando Sonza?
Orlando Sonza is a West Point graduate, Army veteran and former Hamilton County assistant prosecutor from the Cincinnati area. He served as an infantry and finance officer with the 3rd Infantry Division. He was the 2024 Republican nominee for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District and became executive director of the Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission in May 2024.
Did Orlando Sonza win his race for Congress?
No. Sonza won the Republican nomination for Ohio’s 1st District but lost the November 2024 general election to Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman, about 54.6% to 45.4%. He carried Warren County, while Landsman won Hamilton County by a wide margin.
What did Jason Willick discuss on Breaking Battlegrounds Podcast 151?
Willick, a Washington Post columnist who writes about law, politics and foreign affairs, discussed the Hunter Biden investigation and the criminal indictments against Donald Trump. The episode was recorded on August 20, 2023, less than a week after Trump was indicted in Georgia.
Has Jason Willick been on Breaking Battlegrounds more than once?
Yes. Beyond Podcast 151, he appeared on Podcast 202 in August 2024 to discuss Kamala Harris’ record. He returned for Podcast 205 later that month with Henry Olsen and Noah Rothman.
What happened to the Trump indictments discussed in this episode?
Trump was convicted in the Manhattan case in 2024. Special counsel Jack Smith dropped both federal cases after the 2024 election. A Georgia judge dismissed the Fulton County case in November 2025 after the new prosecutor declined to pursue it.
Where can I listen to the Orlando Sonza and Jason Willick episode?
You can stream or download Podcast 151 on the Breaking Battlegrounds website. It is also available through the show’s feeds on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Substack and other major podcast platforms.
Conclusion
Podcast 151 now reads as a time capsule from the opening of the 2024 cycle. Orlando Sonza introduced himself as a soldier, engineer and family man making his first congressional run, with a clear argument about immigrant patriotism and the American dream. Jason Willick addressed the legal cases that hung over the presidential race. Those cases have since ended without the outcomes many expected in August 2023, and Sonza’s run ended in a loss in a district Democrats have now held twice. Read alongside the updates above, the episode shows how candidates and commentators framed those stakes before any of it was settled.
Related Reads
- Podcast 202: Jason Willick on Harris’ Record and Fact Checking CNN’s “Fact-Check”
- Podcast 205: Jason Willick, Henry Olsen and Noah Rothman on Kamala Harris’ Dodged Policy Questions
- Podcast 192: Josh Williams and Dan McLaughlin on the Trump Trial Impact
- Podcast 190: Josh Hammer on Fani Willis’ Case Against Trump
- Podcast 216: Election Countdown on Pivotal 2024 Races
- Meet the Hosts: Sam Stone and Chuck Warren
Sources
- Associated Press race call, Ohio’s 1st Congressional District, November 5, 2024 (via National News Watch)
- NBC News, Ohio’s 1st District 2024 general election results
- Spectrum News / AP, Ohio congressional results, November 6, 2024
- FOX19 WXIX, “Battle for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District,” November 5, 2024
- WCPO, Hamilton County Veterans Service Commission coverage, 2024 to 2025
- Talking Biz News, Washington Post announcement of Jason Willick as staff columnist, February 14, 2022
- AP, Georgia election interference case dismissal, November 26, 2025
- States Newsroom, Fulton County case dismissal, November 26, 2025
