| Across the map, women veterans are gearing up to continue serving their country in Congress. That list includes Red to Blue candidates JoAnna Mendoza (AZ-06), Rebecca Bennett (NJ-07), Jessica Killin (CO-05), Leela Gray (FL-13), Cait Conley (NY-17), and Nancy Lacore (SC-01). While Republicans are forced to defend their record of high costs and broken promises, these veterans have a real record of service for the American people.
New polling from Gallup shows, “seven in 10 Americans say they have a great deal (41%) or quite a lot (29%) of confidence in military veterans,” and “90% of adults over 50 trust elected leaders with military experience, regardless of party.”
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MSNOW: Could 2026 be the Year of the Woman Veteran? Democrats think so.
- As the nation confronts deepening political divisions and mounting foreign policy dilemmas, veterans in droves are gearing up once again to serve their country.
- A surprising number of Democrats running in competitive U.S. House races are veterans.
- “I think people acknowledge and realize the fact that if you did well in the military as a woman, you’ve got something,” Lacore told MS NOW.
- “I think that’s exactly the type of background that independents and some Republicans are looking for,” Lacore told MS NOW. “I think there’s a lot of people like that who don’t recognize the party anymore and are looking for some change.”
- “When I talk about what we’re fighting for, these aren’t Democratic or Republican values. They’re American values,” Conley told MS NOW.
- It’s not just Conley, the Hell Cats or Lacore stepping up to run. The nonpartisan veterans advocacy group With Honor Action released data in June showing an army of military veterans running for Congress this cycle — 752 of them across all 50 states, with the most dramatic growth among women.
- Democratic candidates with military backgrounds may have an edge in swing districts, according to Alex Cornell du Houx, the president of Elected Officials to Protect America, a bipartisan group of current and former elected officials.
- “For the Democrats, being a veteran has the advantage of being able to reach out to middle-ground conservative voters, whereas for Republicans it might already be assumed,” du Houx told MS NOW. “It gives them an advantage to get the section of the population who can have the shared value sets of freedom, security and so forth that allow a conversation to happen that could lead to a vote.”
- “Americans are looking for candidates who embody service and tell the truth,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Liam Buckley told MS NOW in a statement, adding, “While Republicans run on broken promises, voters will trust Democrats who are running on integrity and have the resume to prove it.”
DCCC Spokesperson Bridget Gonzalez:
“The American people are looking for fighters who will put their interests first, not bow down to D.C. party bosses. This year’s class of Democratic veteran candidates have spent their lives defending Americans, and now they’re running for public office to do it in Congress. While Republicans push an extreme agenda that only benefits the wealthiest few, these proven fighters are ready to step up to be real leaders.” |
