In the 1970s, three out of four members of Congress had served in U.S. Army. This number has fallen to one in six. Republicans want to see a wide range of veterans running for the House of Representatives this cycle in order to change that number and to make the party more face-able.
Jennifer-Ruth Green observed a polarized House chamber during the 2020 State of the Union address. She thought her military background could be a benefit.
In an interview with NPR, she said that she had no idea what the experience of running for Congress would be like.
Her fellow Republicans told her she was unlikely to win in an Indiana congressional district that has been governed by Democrats for over 90 years. She said that she wanted to use her platform as an Air Force veteran Black Air Force Veteran to inspire others conservatives. NPR also heard that she considers herself a “two-way messager.”
She said, “So, being an example is something which is possibly secondary, tertiary effect, that would cause others to be interested in saying, ‘Yes I can be conservative and an African American, and serve in politics.'”
Green won the GOP primary in order to face Frank Mrvan, a freshman Democratic Rep. In November, he now has the money and endorsements of Kevin McCarthy’s super PAC the Congressional Leadership Fund.
She claims that voters are paying attention not only to the conflict in Ukraine, but also the U.S. role, but there are three main issues: the border, inflation, and gas prices.
Green stated that her party should be focusing on “providing messaging to resonate with Hispanics, African Americans, and we will lose for generations because we will lose those who are interested to hear what we have to offer,” Green said to NPR.
Jen Kiggans is a Virginia state senator and one of four Republican candidates who have military backgrounds. She is running in a district with military installations near Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Kiggans chose to run after seeing Democratic female veterans win House seats in 2018. She was inspired by the victories of Rep. Mikie Sherill, New Jersey, and Rep. Elaine Luria (a former Navy commander) whom she is challenging.
“I thought, “Well, where are all the Republican women?” She said that they differ on many issues. “And as a conservative, I felt like, Where are the Republican veteran woman?”
Kiggans has decided to run in 2020 for the state Senate.
After the 2018 success of Democratic candidates with national security backgrounds, her party fielded approximately 260 veterans to the House. NPR’s Luria said that the midterm election cycle was a “natural” way for the group to run for office. It was less structured than that.
Michael McAdams (spokesman for House GOP’s campaign committee), stated that 251 Republican veterans applied to run for House districts in the 2022 cycle.
Kiggans explained to NPR that division and gridlock drove Kiggans not to yell at national news from her couch but to run for a House seat. She didn’t feel represented. She feels that her party could do better in recruiting and supporting female veterans.
She said, “It’s difficult to run.” It’s difficult to run, especially for a woman who is a working mom. We need support.
Kiggans states that the economy is her main concern, but in her district with the highest number of veterans in the state she also talks about the U.S. withdrawal and what went wrong.
Jeremy Hunt, a West Point graduate, served as an army intelligence officer. He said that he was able to make a career as a Republican after five years of service in the military, which included a deployment to Ukraine.
He said, “We felt that for this seat, it was either now or never.” “If we’re determined to make a difference, it’s a year such as 2022 when a lot people are suffering under Biden’s economy with inflation and gas prices, you know it.”
He explained that he learned on the job from military veterans how to understand voters in his district, mainly farmers.
He said, “I’m not going to be there saying, “Here’s what Washington can help you with, and here’s my 10-point strategy,” “What I am doing is that I’m showing up, and I’m listening to you and asking you what we can do to support your efforts. ”
Hunt mentions that he hears the most about rising energy prices and concerns about illegal immigration.
Hunt has made it clear that he will not be influenced by the message of former President Donald Trump.
He stated that while we are working to form a coalition to flip a key Democrat-held seat, we don’t spend too much time discussing national issues.
Green was highly complimentary of Trump’s policies but said that they had boosted the economy during Trump’s term.
She stated, “I want to ensure that I lead with accountability & with integrity. My style of leadership is vastly differing from his.” “I want to lead in an entirely different way.”
Kiggans voted on questions about the former President, noting that he’s not on this year’s ballot and saying “nothing” if the U.S. House isn’t flipped, in my view.
Trump has not yet weighed in on these races. Hunt, an African American candidate, is up against Sanford Bishop, a Black Democrat who served briefly in the Army.
Hunt believes his party must reach beyond its base.
He stated that he believes the future will be found in areas like his, where a multiracial working-class coalition of voters is built, and in particular in rural communities, which stand up for farmers. “Building a wider coalition of people is the future of conservative movements.”
A bipartisan group, the For Country Caucus, was formed after the 2018 midterms. It works across the aisle to address issues related to veterans or national security. Florida Republican Michael Waltz is a former Army Green Beret and pointed out the positive energy in the group.
He said, “We differ on many issues, but it is that ethos that’s lacking aEUR” that we were willing and able to die for the flag when we were very young aEUR.” He added that he believed that we could roll up our sleeves, accept tough votes, and make tough compromises in order to move the country forward.
Luria noted that she had broken with her party over the size of her defense budget, and cited her work in the bipartisan group on veterans and military families.
She said, “The fact that veterans have that common background aEUR” makes it a great value to work together on these types of issues.”
Both the Republican and Democratic candidates agree that the polarization of Capitol Hill is only going to get worse. The 2002 midterm elections could show whether increasing the number of veterans in Congress will change the atmosphere in the institution, even if it is only for a limited set of issues.
