Since the end of the U.S. military draft in 1973, the number of former service members elected to Congress has been steadily dwindling.
Before the mid-'70s, one out of every four senators and congressional representatives 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 is now less than 1 in 6, the lowest percentage since at least before World War II.
The trend appears to be reversing, albeit slowly.
Aggressive Recruiting
More than 400 military veterans also ran for Congress in House and Senate primaries during the 2022 midterm cycle, with 180 winning to earn berths on November ballots for 162 races, With Honor Action reports.The National Republican Congressional Committee reported this spring that 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.
The 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 citizens to better understand the benefits of electing veterans in all levels of government,” he said.
Unlike the 2-million-member American Legion and 1.6-million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars, which don’t endorse individual congressional candidates, Quaye’s organization endorses candidates and campaigns.
Veteran Groups
According to an October 2020 Military Times poll, 52.4 percent of veteran respondents intended to vote for President Donald Trump, compared to 42.3 percent for President Joe Biden.As of Sept. 16, American Veterans Honor Fund had raised $3.5 million and spent $3.24 million on campaign contributions and advertising during the midterm election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.
It has also staged Get Out the Vote drives that “activated” 30,000 voters in North Carolina and 60,000 in California.
American Veterans Honor Fund backed three Republican Senate candidates—Sam Brown in Nevada, Eli Bremer in Colorado, and Marjorie Eastman in North Carolina—who all lost. Two of its three House endorsements were also defeated by party rivals.
Results were “very mixed” for veteran candidates overall in the primaries, Quaye said, but he noted that he’s encouraged to see more veterans running as first-time candidates and more of the nation’s 18 million veterans becoming actively engaged as leaders in their communities.
“The primaries have shown us that veterans are being more accepted as candidates at the state and federal levels,” especially in the South, the former U.S. Army officer said. “We believe military experience lends itself well to serving as an elected official—proven loyalty to this country, responsibility, and tested leadership skills.
Campaign Contributions
Green Beret PAC, founded in May by former Green Beret and CIA analyst Jason Bacon, endorsed 11 candidates during the primary, including eight former Green Berets.Nine advanced, including seven former Green Berets. Among them is Republican New Hampshire Senate candidate Don Bolduc, Washington congressional hopeful Joe Kent, and incumbent Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.).
SEAL PAC, which reports that it has spent $900,000 since August in campaign contributions and ads, endorsed 26 House and three Senate candidates, including Bolduc, with the bulk of its efforts dedicated to helping six former SEALS and three “accomplished veterans” win in November.
The six include former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke and Marcus Luttrell running for seats in Montana and Texas, respectively; Ed Thelander in Maine; Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin; Conrad Kress in Hawaii; and Eli Crane in Arizona.
Former Green Beret Tyler Allcorn secured endorsements from both the Green Beret and SEAL PACs in defeating a state senator, a mayor, and a county commissioner in Colorado’s June 28 Republican primary in the state’s newly created 8th Congressional District.
Partisan Paralysis
Allcorn said his background in the oil and gas industry was an asset during his primary campaign, but when he discussed his experiences as a veteran, that’s when people really responded to him.“I let people know I am a veteran,” he told The Epoch Times. “People don’t want to see the same people do the same things that got us into the situation we are in today.”
Allcorn said voters are tired of “professional politicians” and partisan paralysis.
They’re eager to elect people who will do the people’s business without the rancor that has become standard, he said, and that’s something veterans have the proven capacity to do.
“We’re mission-oriented, and we have a mission in front of us—getting this country back on track,” he said. “I see a lot of veterans are running now because we have been at war for 20 years. You’ll be hearing from a lot of us.”
Quaye said he, too, expects to see more veterans running and winning elections in the coming years.
“We do expect to see an increase of veterans elected to Congress, particularly if they are already well-known, but as an organization, we believe that more veterans need to start running in local elections: school boards, city councils, and county levels,” he said.
“We need to build from the ground up, and that is a great way to build understanding of running for elected office, building confidence in the political sphere, and building support.”
