CHARLOTTE, NC – Over the past four years, With Honor Action has closely tracked the number of veterans running for Congress and compiled a robust database. With Honor Action’s research shows an increase in the number of veterans running for the U.S. House of Representatives or the U.S. Senate in the 2022 campaign cycle, growing from 628 in 2018 to 685 in 2022. The number of veterans running for the U.S. House of Representatives has increased modestly from 2018 to 2022, going from 580 to 587.
A key area of growth is the number of post-9/11 veterans, who mainly served during the Global War on Terrorism, running for the U.S. House of Representatives. While 258 post-9/11 veterans ran for the House in 2018, 393 post-9/11 veterans ran for the House in 2022. That number increased for post-9/11 veterans running for Senate, as well, with 12 running in 2018 and 52 running in 2022.
“A new generation of bipartisan veterans is running for office and winning, which is good for Congress and the country,” said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor Action. “The more veterans continue to serve their country out of uniform, the more effective, bipartisan, and less polarized our Congress will be.”
Importantly, With Honor Action’s research found that veterans from a range of service branches are running for the House and Senate in large numbers. Of the 684 veterans running for House and Senate in 2022, 283 served in the Army, 161 in the Navy, 108 in the Air Force, 108 in the Marine Corps, 46 in the National Guard, and 7 Coast Guard. Note that some veteran candidates belong to multiple branches of the military and have been counted multiple times in the service branch totals.
“Crisis after crisis has shown that the world needs fresh vision and leadership. One of the best ways to rebuild public trust in our institutions — especially in Congress — is to prepare and encourage a new generation of principled veterans to take up the mantle of leadership.” said David Gergen, Co-Founder and Board Chair of With Honor Action. “What a good sign for the country that so many outstanding veterans are already answering the call.”
With Honor Action will continue to update its research and share new findings on veterans running for Congress. If you have questions about our research or would like to speak to With Honor Action CEO Rye Barcott, please reach out to Kate Constantini at constantini@withhonor.org.