This year, 181 veterans are running for Congress in 162 House and Senate races spread around the country. That number is a slight increase from the 173 veteran candidates who won major political party primaries in 2018.
Seventeen veterans are vying for election in California.
Included in the total are several high-profile races, several of which could decide which party controls the Senate. Republican incumbents Sen. Joni Ernst from Iowa and Martha McSally or Arizona face difficult re-election bids, while Democratic challengers M.J. Hegar of Texas and Amy McGrath of Kentucky are in closely-fought races with established incumbents.
More veteran candidates are running as Republicans this year, echoing past political splits among the candidates with military backgrounds. More than half (121) won GOP primaries in their bid for office this cycle, versus 60 Democrats.
Only about 18 percent of Congress members had military experience at the start of last session.
This election cycle also features the largest number of women veteran candidates ever, with 24 competing for House seats in addition to the four Senate candidates listed above.
Below is a list of all the veteran candidates, with service and biographical information. The congressional elections will take place on Nov. 3:
Article written by Leo Shane III and originally published on Military Times.
Author: Military Times
Published with permission. MilitaryTimes.com is a part of the Sightline Media Group, formerly known as the Army Times Publishing Company, which first published Army Times in 1940. Throughout its history, the company has a strong heritage and tradition of meeting the highest standards of independent journalism and has expanded with publications serving all branches of the U.S. military, the global defense community, the U.S. federal government, and several special interest, defense-oriented industry sectors.