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Maybe this will mean better things from Congress
Why It's Notable That A Slew Of New Members Elected To Congress Are Military Veterans
At least 16 new members of Congress elected on Tuesday are military veterans. That is out of 150 veterans who ran as candidates. Now, that didn't used to be so notable. Thirty years ago, half of all members of Congress were military veterans. That number has shrunk, and some observers link that decline to a decline in civil discourse and bipartisan compromise. It also means veterans who do run for office these days stand out more, as NPR's Quil Lawrence report
LAWRENCE: Those were ads for Dan Crenshaw, retired SEAL, a Republican from Texas, and Mikie Sherrill, chopper pilot and Democrat from New Jersey. They both won seats in the House of Representatives. Veteran status was hardly a guarantee. Many vets lost close races, including two other female combat pilots, Amy McGrath in Kentucky and MJ Hegar in Texas, both Democrats running in deep-red districts. But with a few races still being tallied, the new Congress may double the number of female veterans serving and will have the largest number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to date. Rye Barcott, a former Marine, says he's hoping that will mean Congress does what it's supposed to do.
RYE BARCOTT: What's exciting about these group of vets that have won is that they've committed to serve in a cross-partisan coalition and talk to each other across party lines and get things done.
LAWRENCE: Barcott has that commitment in writing. He leads a super PAC called With Honor which funded dozens of vet candidates, both Republicans and Democrats. All those candidates, including Sherrill and Crenshaw, signed a pledge to meet with the opposite party, co-sponsor legislation and serve with civility.
BARCOTT: Core of the mission is really to be - to have this commitment to serving in a cross-partisan way. And Lord knows we need it.
Why It's Notable That A Slew Of New Members Elected To Congress Are Military Veterans
At least 16 new members of Congress elected on Tuesday are military veterans. That is out of 150 veterans who ran as candidates. Now, that didn't used to be so notable. Thirty years ago, half of all members of Congress were military veterans. That number has shrunk, and some observers link that decline to a decline in civil discourse and bipartisan compromise. It also means veterans who do run for office these days stand out more, as NPR's Quil Lawrence report
LAWRENCE: Those were ads for Dan Crenshaw, retired SEAL, a Republican from Texas, and Mikie Sherrill, chopper pilot and Democrat from New Jersey. They both won seats in the House of Representatives. Veteran status was hardly a guarantee. Many vets lost close races, including two other female combat pilots, Amy McGrath in Kentucky and MJ Hegar in Texas, both Democrats running in deep-red districts. But with a few races still being tallied, the new Congress may double the number of female veterans serving and will have the largest number of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans to date. Rye Barcott, a former Marine, says he's hoping that will mean Congress does what it's supposed to do.
RYE BARCOTT: What's exciting about these group of vets that have won is that they've committed to serve in a cross-partisan coalition and talk to each other across party lines and get things done.
LAWRENCE: Barcott has that commitment in writing. He leads a super PAC called With Honor which funded dozens of vet candidates, both Republicans and Democrats. All those candidates, including Sherrill and Crenshaw, signed a pledge to meet with the opposite party, co-sponsor legislation and serve with civility.
BARCOTT: Core of the mission is really to be - to have this commitment to serving in a cross-partisan way. And Lord knows we need it.