FROM THE BATTLEFIELD TO THE BALLOT BOX: VETERANS RUNNING FOR CONGRESS


By akirschbaum
Veterans running for Congress, in front of the Congress building.

The U.S. election is just around the corner, and everyone already has their bet; with the long list of people who want to sit in power, you need to be wise in choosing the best candidate. In the midst of diversity, there is a fair share of Veterans running for Congress who identify themselves as minorities, hoping to get a spot in order to fulfill their political goals and platforms. This year's wave of Veterans is quite small compared to the 2022 congressional elections. However, 22% of those minorities come from Democratic, Republican, and third-party candidates. Unlike two years ago, when they were only at 19%, this was based on the analysis by the political action committee, which supports the Veteran candidates who commit to working across party lines.

Veteran Representation in Congress

Over the past few years, the number of Veterans running in Congress has decreased, falling more than 70% in the 1970s to 18% in the current 118th Congress. Plus, there was a decrease in trust in Congress from 54% to just 22%, according to Pew Research. Some of the lawmakers seemingly wanted to go viral instead of passing bills and budgets, maybe because TikTok had influenced them.However, are there enough reasons to support those Veterans running for Congress? Here's a thing: More often than not, they bring a sense of bipartisanship and unity. For example, they even have a fair share of experience in serving the nation, experiencing it firsthand, which can foster common purpose and collaboration. Their familiarity with camaraderie may have helped to bridge partisan divides, creating more cooperation and constructive dialogues regarding critical issues.In a time where there is a political divide, it might be good to have Veteran's present, as they can serve as a stabilizing force that can remind their colleagues of the essence of working together to make a better nation. Another research published by the Center for Effective Lawmaking indicates that Veteran members are likely to be 35% more effective, and active duty Vets are 46% more effective in passing and introducing legislation. However, this will still depend on the person's real intention, why they want to grab a seat in Congress, whether they really want to serve the people, or if it is just for personal reasons.

Meet the Veterans Running for Congress

Alabama

  • House: Barry Moore (R)- Army National Guard & Tom Holmes (D)- Navy Reserve

California

  • House: Chris Coulombe (R)- Army & Marine Corps, Mike Thompson (D)- Army, Mike Barkley (D)- Navy, Tom Silva (R)- Army, Rudy Recile (R)- Army National Guard, Kevin Lincoln (R)- Marine Corps, and more.

Florida

  • House: Neal Dunn (R)- Army, Jay McGovern (D)- Navy, Michael Waltz (R)- Army & National Guard, Cory Mills (R)- Army, Thomas Chalifoux (R)- Army, Greg Steube (R)- Army, Phil Ehr (D)- Navy

Hawaii

  • House: Patrick Largey (R)- Air Force
  • Senate: Bob McDermott (R)- Marine Corps

Kansas

  • House: Prasanth Reddy (R)- Air Force Reserves

Louisiana

  • House: Clay Higgins (R)- Army National Guard

Minnesota

  • House: Joe Teirab (R)- Marine Corps, Tade Jude (3)- Army Reserve

Nevada

  • House: Mark Roberson (R)- Army, Mark Amodei (R)- Army
  • Senate: Sam Brown (R)- Army

New York

  • House: Nicholas LaLota (R)- Navy, Thomas Zmich (R)- Army Reserve, Mike Zumbluskas (R)- Army, Ruben Vargas (R)- Air Force, Gonzalo Duran (R)- Marine Corps, Pat Ryan (D)- Army, Brandon Williams (R)- Navy, Gregg Sadwick (R)- Navy

Washington

  • House: Cody Hard (R)- Navy, Joe Kent (R)- Army, Jerrod Sessler (R)- Navy, Drew MacEwen (R)- Navy, Don Hewett (R)- Air Force

To see the full list of Veterans running for Congress, click here.

Minority Members in Congress

According to Rye Barcott, the co-founder of With Honor and a Marine Corps Veteran, the nation is more diverse, with recruitment of Vets occuring by both parties. Overall, there are around 189 Democrats and Republicans who are running for Congress, and they mentioned that they have military experience. This is quite a downgrade from 196 Vets from these parties in 2022.According to the Lugar Center's annual Bipartisan Index, there are three Veterans out of the ten most bipartisan members of the House, namely Zach Nunn, Don Davis, and Don Bacon. Out of the 75 Veterans running for Congress, 25 have a positive score on the index. In a statement, Marine Corps Veteran and executive director of the Veterans Campaign, Seth Lynn, mentioned that there is strong evidence showing that having military experience can create a chance for bipartisanship.Being involved in the military is helpful for credibility, especially when Congress is debating about Vets and military issues. Aside from the potential of working together better, Veterans in Congress have the possibility to increase public trust. Congress falls among the least trusted institutions, while the military remains one of the most trusted; however, there has been a decline in their trust in recent years.Lynn also added that most of the qualities that are absent in Congress can be found in the military. Most of these are countries before themselves, working together and setting aside differences for the betterment of everyone. However, wise voters should not just look at the numbers alone; they need to do their own research and background checks on these candidates to ensure that they are worthy of the position.

What Are the Qualifications to Run for Congress?

For a person to run for office, there are certain requirements that they must possess. Additionally, the candidate needs to be 25 years old, have been a citizen of the United States for seven years, and must be an inhabitant of the state they wish to represent. If a person will run for Senate, they need to be at least 30 years old, must be a U.S. citizen for nine years, and must be an inhabitant of the state at the time of election.Related reads:


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