A record number of veterans are running for Congress this year, including many female and independent candidates.
According to the group With Honor Action, 258 military veterans are on the ballot this election, including 227 running for the House and 31 for the Senate. The figure is up from 213 in 2024 — a 21% increase — and 195 in the last mid-term election in 2022.
More than 750 veterans ran in the primaries, a 47% increase from 2024. Veterans currently hold roughly one in five seats in Congress.
With Honor Action supports veteran candidates across the political spectrum, according to Rye Barcott, a former Marine Corps officer who cofounded With Honor Action and serves as its chief executive officer.
“Every one of these candidates has already sworn an oath to the Constitution,” said Barcott in a statement. “Now they’re asking voters to let them keep serving. More of them are women, and they come from across the political spectrum. What they share is the habit of putting the mission first. Congress needs more of it.”
Of the veterans, 115 are Republicans, 80 are Democrats, and 63 are independents or third-party members. Thirty-eight women — 21 Democrats, eight Republicans and nine independents — are in the field, up from 21 in 2024.
Roughly a quarter of the candidates are incumbents, and 191 are running for open seats, split nearly evenly across party lines – 67 Republicans, 61 Democrats and 63 independents or third-party members.
According to survey results released in July by Gallup and With Honor Action, 77% of Americans said they trust those with military experience to “perform well as an elected official.”
“Americans trust veterans across party lines because that trust was earned in service,” Barcott said.
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