This year, 182 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.
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.
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:
The list of veteran candidates was compiled in partnership with The Veterans Campaign. Reporters Harm Venhuizen and Hannah Graf contributed to this project.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect an additional veterans candidate in the November Senate races.
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
