--- title: The Midterms Could Send More Military Veterans to Congress description: The number of military veterans in Congress is near an all-time low. Here's how the 2018 midterm elections could change that. canonical: https://time.com/5445761/military-veterans-midterms/ author: Abby Vesoulis article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-11-06T18:34:39.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:07.064Z article:section: Politics og:title: The Number of Veterans in Congress is Near an All-Time Low. The Midterms Might Change That og:description: Over 200 veterans sought Congressional seats this election season. og:url: https://time.com/5445761/military-veterans-midterms/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00ee8a6201d56d61/69893e60929fada566bf1ff7/veterans-run-for-congress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 5036 og:image:height: 2833 og:image:alt: veterans-run-for-congress og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Number of Veterans in Congress is Near an All-Time Low. The Midterms Might Change That twitter:description: Over 200 veterans sought Congressional seats this election season. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00ee8a6201d56d61/69893e60929fada566bf1ff7/veterans-run-for-congress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Number of Veterans in Congress Is Near an All-Time Low. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: 2018 Midterm Elections Could Shift Power [Watch (HLS stream): 2018 Midterm Elections Could Shift Power](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FTuOXmCB.m3u8) (3:59)  _Published 2018-10-24. With the possibility of a flip of the House and candidates set to make history, voter enthusiasm builds leading up to the midterm elections._  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Nov 6, 2018 6:34 PM UTC  Democratic congressional candidate Mikie Sherrill, who is running to represent New Jersey's 11th district, talks with supporters during a get-out-the-vote rally in Livingston, New Jersey, on Nov. 4, 2018\. Sherrill is a Naval Academy graduate and a former Navy helicopter pilot. Democratic congressional candidate Mikie Sherrill, who is running to represent New Jersey's 11th district, talks with supporters during a get-out-the-vote rally in Livingston, New Jersey, on Nov. 4, 2018\. Sherrill is a Naval Academy graduate and a former Navy helicopter pilot. JUSTIN LANE—EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock  by [Abby Vesoulis](https://time.com/author/abby-vesoulis/)  ## Abby Vesoulis Nov 6, 2018 6:34 PM UTC In 1971, [nearly three-fourths of the members of Congress](https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R44762.pdf) were military veterans. When the current session of Congress began in 2017, that figure was less than 19%. That might change after Tuesday’s midterms, especially in the House of Representatives. According to With Honor, a “cross-partisan” Super PAC devoted to increasing military representation in Congress, over 200 veterans sought Congressional seats this election season — most of them in the House. This count includes third-party and active write-in candidates. Of the [75 House races](https://www.cookpolitical.com/analysis/house/house-overview/final-house-ratings-75-competitive-races-ten-rating-changes) and [13 Senate races](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/us/elections/senate-race-ratings.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.®ion=Footer&module=WhatsNext&version=WhatsNext&contentID=WhatsNext&moduleDetail=undefined&pgtype=Multimedia) the Cook Political Report identified as competitive on the Monday before Election Day, [more than 20](https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/11/01/28-hot-congressional-races-veterans-are-trying-win-midterms.html) included veteran candidates. Mikie Sherrill, a Naval Academy graduate, former Navy helicopter pilot and the Democratic candidate for New Jersey’s 11th District hopes to help improve the ratio. Sherrill told TIME her experiences in the Navy make her uniquely positioned to work with lawmakers across the aisle to get meaningful legislation accomplished. “When I was a helicopter aircraft commander, we never flew on a Democratic mission or a Republican mission,” she said. “We always were able to work with one another, despite coming from all over the country and all different backgrounds. We were always able to work together and get the job done.” **Read More:** [_Veterans Slam ‘Shameful’ Ad Attacking Candidate for Living Out of State During Military Service_](http://time.com/5285404/amy-mcgrath-attack-ad-marine-corps-kentucky/) Even though she’s running as a Democrat in a district that has been solidly red for more than three decades, Sherrill has led a competitive campaign. The most recent [poll](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/house/nj/new%5Fjersey%5F11th%5Fdistrict%5Fwebber%5Fvs%5Fsherrill-6452.html) indicates she has a double-digit lead over her Republican opponent, Jay Webber, a member of the New Jersey General Assembly. Rye Barcott, a former Marine and a co-founder of With Honor, told TIME military veterans face barriers that many of their opponents don’t. In addition to the rising congressional campaign costs, members of the military move around a lot. While non-veteran candidates can often spend most of their lives in a home district, military vets can spend years away from theirs. That, in addition to the elimination of the draft, has led to the decline in veterans’ congressional representation. But veterans also understand serving their country better than most, he said, and that’s part of why their perspectives are so necessary. “No matter what your job \[in the military\], you are giving part of your life — maybe up to and including your life — for your country. You are willingly putting it on the line.” According to research from the [Lugar Center, a Washington-based nonprofit,](https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2017-11-10/congress-needs-more-veterans-to-break-partisan-gridlock) even veterans from deep red and blue districts are more likely than their non-veteran counterparts to exhibit bipartisan behavior, such as as co-sponsoring legislation across the aisle or regularly meeting with members from the opposing party. Barcott says part of this can be attributed to the military being diverse itself. “When you serve, you interact with Americans from all walks of life,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who your parents were, it doesn’t matter where you came from. It’s about as close to a meritocracy as we have in the United States.” Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican Congressman seeking a second term in Nebraska’s second district, shared similar sentiments with TIME. Bacon served in the Air Force for more than 29 years, lastly as a Brigadier General. A [New York _Times_/Siena poll](https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2018/house/ne/nebraska%5F2nd%5Fdistrict%5Fbacon%5Fvs%5Feastman-6381.html) indicated he was up by nine points as of late September. “My best friends across the aisle are veterans,” he said. “We’re not hyper-partisan. We may disagree on taxes or healthcare, but we find a lot of areas to work on.” With Honor, which [received](http://fortune.com/2018/09/05/jeff-bezos-political-donation-super-pac/) a $10 million donation from Amazon founder and Washington _Post_ owner Jeff Bezos earlier this year, has endorsed 19 House Democrat and 20 House Republicans candidates that remain in this election cycle. But it’s not about partisanship. The mission, Barcott said, has always been to help the country move forward. Sherrill said she and her fellow veterans are in a good position to lead the charge. “Veterans are stepping up to serve their country again because we know what this country stands for,” she said. “We have all taken oaths to support and defend the Constitution.” ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] US midterms don't typically get a lot of attention but this year it's different. The 2018 Congressional election has solidified its status as a coast- to- coast battle for the House with both President Trump and former President Barrack Obama hitting the campaign trail to back candidates The elections are slated to not only determine the balance of power in Congress, but they also have the potential to shape the strategies and identities of the two parties heading into the 2020 presidential race. Right now, Republicans have the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Re- election is such a big deal because it represents Enormous stakes for both parties. If the republicans keep the house, they will see it as a reinforcement of Trump's mandate. And for the democrats, it's an opportunity to put a check on president Trump, and try to use congressional power to get at some of these scandals that have already been plaguing his presidency. House members serve a two year term, so every seat is up for grabs. Right now Republicans have 236 out of 435 seats. Democrats have 193 and six are vacant. And there are a record number of house members not seeking re- election in 2018, with more than 40 Republicans not running again, including House Speaker Paul Ryan So what happens if dems manage to take the house. Its very unlikely that they will be able to pass, meaningful registration to advance their agenda. So its highly unlikely that we're gonna see anything like medicare for all. What is very likely, is that democrats will use the powers of congressional subpoena, and congressional investigation. To investigate this president who has been accused of so many ethical lapses. But flipping the House is rare. In fact, in the past 25 years, it's only happened three times. Yet, each time voters favor the party not in the White House. This combined with voter energy, has democrats optimistic. Voters are really interested in this year's midterms, partly because of what happened in the 2016 election. Voter turnout in the primaries among Democrats doubled from 2014 levels, and you're also seeing a tremendous amount of activism over the last two years that has all been building up to this year's midterms. And after a divisive 2016 Democratic primary, the party is experiencing a revival of sorts. There is a tremendous amount of enthusiasm around registering and mobilizing voters of color, and white suburban moms living in these Districts that have kinda [ UNKNOWN ] conservative in the past, but now are open for pick up for the Democrats. There are a lot of college educated women who woke up after the 2016 election and said, this is not the country that I thought I was going to rest my kids in. And have basically spend the last two years knocking on doors for Democrats. Meanwhile Trump's outsider politics continues to reign supreme for Republicans. So Republicans have really been leaning into Trumpism. The energy is around people who are really embracing Trump's agenda. And it's not just Congress that could change, there are 36 governorships up for grads and more 6, 000 members of state legislatures will be elected. A record number of women are running for office and this year's candidates could make history. Arizona and Tennessee could send women to the US Senate for the first time. US House of Representatives could get its first Somali- American and Native American women. But ultimately it will be voter turnout that will determine this election. There's a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm around getting voters who dont typically show up to the midterms to actually show up and vote this year. And so, if the voter base is significantly different then it's likely that the results will also be significantly different. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5445761/military-veterans-midterms/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5445761/military-veterans-midterms/"},"headline":"The Number of Veterans in Congress Is Near an All-Time Low. 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