Veterans flood 2026 House races as both parties battle for control

With Republicans aiming to defend their razor-thin majority in the House in the 2026 midterm elections, and Democrats needing to flip just three seats to win back control of the chamber, both parties are looking to veterans to enter the battle.

More than 50 veterans are running for the House as Republicans in next year’s midterm elections, in seats against incumbent Democrats, open seats, and in highly competitive districts across the country, according to GOP strategists familiar with House races.

And 17 veterans are running as Democrats in 35 competitive Republican-controlled districts Democrats are targeting in next year’s midterms, according to Democratic strategists familiar with House races.

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Among the Republican veterans who’ve launched campaigns are John Braun of Washington’s 3rd District, Kevin Lincoln in California’s 13th District, Eric Flores in Texas’ 34th District, Mike Bouchard in Michigan’s 10th District, Jennifer-Ruth Green in Idianna’s 1st District, and Greg Cunningham in 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 Army National Guard, is running in next month’s special congressional election in Tennessee’s 7th District.

Among the Democrat veterans who have declared their candidacy are 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 current 78 members of the House 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 accountability look like, and Congress needs more of it,” Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, a Navy SEAL veteran, told Fox News Digital.

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And Van Orden emphasized that Republicans are “recruiting a new generation of battle-tested leaders to make sure veterans’ voices are heard loud and clear in Washington.”