Much of the analysis of the up-and-coming midterm elections has focused on which party is going to win the House and Senate, who’s retiring, and who’s in danger. But you know what else is interesting? A record number of veterans are also seeking office this year.
The Super Pac “With Honor” has found that over 200 veterans have been contesting seats in the House. Given that there are only 435 house seats, that’s a tremendous number. During the primaries, over 400 veterans contested. Obviously, many of them have advanced.
Currently, less than 20 percent of Congress possess a military background. In the early 1970s, roughly two-thirds of Congress had previously served in the military. Since then, however, veteran participation has generally declined. Come 2018, veterans could make a major comeback.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos, who have generally shied away from political donations, even donated $10 million to “With Honor.” The organization supports both Republican and Democratic veteran candidates. With Honor has raised over $20 million so far, providing many veteran candidates with financial resources. The organization is currently focusing its efforts on 33 candidates, with only six of them being incumbents. Fifteen are Republicans, while eighteen are Democrats, a pretty even mix.
Among younger veterans (those who turned 18 between 1972 and 2016), just over half identified as Republicans and about 1/3 identified as Democrats. The rest were independent. Interestingly, older veterans (those who turned 18 before 1972) were more likely to support Democrats.
65 percent of veterans in Congress identify with the Republican Party. However, the Democratic Party has seen a surge in veterans seeking to run for office under the party banner. Democratic strategists are hoping that the increase in their party’s veteran candidates will lead to more veteran and military support at the polls.
Research by Pew from 2017 found that veterans supported Trump in higher numbers than the general public. Pew found that 54 percent of vets supported the President, versus just 39 percent of the general public. Whether or not this support has waned or strengthened over the last year remains unclear.
