Parties Turn to Military Veterans as Voters See Them as Trustworthy, and Problem-Solving Team Players

Since the end of the United States’ military draft in 1973, the number of former service members elected to Congress has been steadily dwindling.

Before the mid-70s, one of every four Senators and Congressional reps had served in the military. With 93 veterans—17 in the Senate, 76 in the House—seated with the 117th Congress in 2020, that ratio now is less than one-in-six, the lowest percentage since at least before World War II.

The trend appears to be reversing, albeit slowly.

In 2018, more than 350 veterans ran in party primaries with 173 winning. In 2020, about 400 ran with 182 winning preliminary contests, according to With Honor Action, a “cross-partisan organization” that supports veterans.

Aggressive Recruiting

More than 400 military veterans also ran for Congress in House and Senate primaries during the 2022 midterm cycle with 180 winning races to earn berths on November ballots for 162 races, With Honor Action reports.

The National Republican Congressional Committee reported this spring it had recruited 251 veterans to run for federal office during the 2022 midterms with about half that number running as Democrats.

Both parties aggressively recruit veterans to run because, as surveys and studies such as a 2016 analysis by Pew Research Center show, Americans believe military veterans are more likely to work together as elected officials to solve problems even when they disagree.

“Having more veterans run and hold office at every level of government is, we believe, the key to getting this country back on track and increasing faith and respect in our political system,” Al Quaye, president of American Veterans Honor Fund, told The Epoch Times.

Alexandria, Virginia-based American Veterans Honor Fund, not to be confused with North Carolina-based With Honor Action, provides training and resources for veterans who “want to run for office and resources for