Veterans flood House races in 2026 as both parties fight for control
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With Republicans aiming to defend their slim House majority in the 2026 midterm elections, and Democrats needing just three seats to regain control of the House, both parties are looking to veterans to enter the fray.
More than 50 veterans are running for the House of Representatives as Republicans in next year’s midterm elections, in seats against incumbent Democrats, in vacant seats and in highly competitive districts across the country, according to Republican strategists familiar with House races.
And 17 veterans are running as Democrats in 35 competitive Republican-controlled districts that Democrats are targeting in next year’s midterms, according to Democratic strategists familiar with House races.
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The U.S. Capitol dome is visible on October 22, 2025 in Washington, DC (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Veteran Republican campaigners include John Braun of Washington’s 3rd District, Kevin Lincoln of California’s 13th District, Eric Flores of Texas’ 34th District, Mike Bouchard of Michigan’s 10th District, Jennifer-Ruth Green of Idianna’s 1st District and Greg Cunningham of New Mexico’s 2nd District.
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And Matt Van Epps, a West Point graduate and combat veteran who serves in the Tennessee National Guard, is running in next month’s special election in Tennessee’s 7th District.
Veteran Democrats who have declared their candidacy include Joe Mendoza in Arizona’s 6th District, Rebecca Bennet in New Jersey’s 7th District and Cait Conley in New York’s 17th District.
Of the 78 current House members who are veterans, 59 are Republicans and 19 are Democrats, according to figures from the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.
“Veterans know what hard work, discipline and responsibility look like, and Congress needs more of that,” Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, a Navy SEAL veteran, told Fox News Digital.
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And Van Orden stressed that Republicans are “recruiting a new generation of seasoned leaders to ensure veterans’ voices are heard loud and clear in Washington.”
