At least 15 newly-elected members of the US House of Representatives and US Senate are military veterans—most of them Democrats.

Last week’s historic midterm election saw Democrats take control of both the United States Senate and the House of Representatives. It is common for a sitting president, especially one who isn’t popular with voters, to see losses in the midterms. However, few could have expected the dramatic Democratic gains in traditionally “red” states such as South Carolina, Kansas, and Texas.

The sizable Democratic majority in both chambers is certain to impact how President Donald Trump is able to govern during his final two years in office. On the defense front, Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth may not be able to garner support for some of the administration’s signature defense programs, notably the “Golden Dome for America” missile defense program and the proposed Trump-class guided-missile battleships. Hegseth could even face impeachment from Democrats and disgruntled Republicans, and even if he remains in his post, his hold on the Pentagon could be greatly diminished—particularly as some of the newly elected officials are military veterans who have criticized Hegseth’s policies in the past.

Hegseth Fired a Three-Star Admiral—Now She’s in Congress

Former Vice Admiral Nancy Lacore, who served as the chief of the Navy Reserve, still has no idea why Hegseth fired her from her US Navy post in August 2025. However, she made her opposition to the SecDef’s leadership a central point in South Carolina’s House race that pitted her against Republican Jenny Honeycutt.

“I was never given a reason when I was removed from my position in August 2025,” Lacore, who served in the military for 35 years, told Politico. “I don’t think any of the other generals and admirals were ever given reasons, either. And, frankly, at this point, it doesn’t really matter. You know, it opened a door for me to do what I’m doing now and continuing my service in Congress.”

Lacore was the highest-ranking official to be ousted by Hegseth who will now be in Congress. Although she has emphasized that her primary focus in Congress will be affordability rather than defense issues, Lacore could still become a powerful foe of Hegseth, and has said she would push for his impeachment.

“He has caused significant damage to us as a country and put us at risk and really damaged the readiness of our entire military force,” said Lacore. “He is focused on the wrong things. He should be focused on strategy and readiness instead of these things that are down in the trenches.”

At Least 11 New Democratic Members of Congress Are Military Veterans

Lacore is not the only newly-elected member of Congress to have served in the US military. The following freshman members of the House of Representatives are also veterans:

• Cait Conley, representing New York’s 17th Congressional District;
• Fred Wellman, representing Missouri’s 2nd Congressional District;
• Rebecca Bennett, representing New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District;
• JoAnna Mendoza, representing Arizona’s 6th Congressional District;
• Jessica Killin, representing Colorado’s 5th Congressional District;
• Adam Hamawy, representing New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District;
• Luke Bronin, representing Connecticut’s 1st Congressional District;
• Kristina Knickerbocker, representing Ohio’s 10th Congressional District; 
• Richard Ojeda, representing North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District; and
• Zach Dembo, representing Kentucky’s 6th Congressional District.

Conley, a West Point graduate, served in the US Army for 16 years and reached the rank of major. She unseated Republican incumbent Mike Lawler, who had been one of the few Republican lawmakers to represent a district won by Joe Biden in 2020 and Kamala Harris in 2024. Conley has publicly called for Hegseth’s removal and impeachment, arguing that his leadership puts American national security at risk.

That sentiment was shared by Wellman, a US Army lieutenant colonel and combat veteran who served for 22 years, and Bennett, a former MH-60 Seahawk pilot helicopters for the US Navy who served for 15 years. Both noted in their races that Hegseth’s DEI purge unfairly targeted women and people of color from military leadership positions.

Knickerbocker, who served as a nurse in the US Air Force for 10 years and reached the rank of major, defeated longtime House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Michael Turner. Her district includes the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (AFB) in Ohio. She has accused Hegseth of putting politics above troops by unilaterally rejecting Army and Navy officer promotions, overriding merit-based review panels and high-ranking generals without cause. As a medical professional, she also condemned Pentagon policies requiring military personnel to submit monthly testosterone levels, calling the requirement medically unsound and unsupported by evidence. She said on Monday she was a “hard yes” on impeaching Hegseth.

Dembo served as a Judge’s Advocate General in the US Navy for 4 years. He was a prosecutor for the US District Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky when Donald Trump was reelected; he voluntarily resigned in 2025 due to what he described as the increasing politicization and overhaul of the Justice Department under the Trump administration.

Following his victory last week, Dembo called for “real, true oversight over Secretary Hegseth” and for lawmakers to examine military management and the strategy in Iran, remarking that “from the outside looking in, it doesn’t look like there’s any strategy at all.”

Some Democratic Veterans Might or Might Not Make the Cut

As of Monday, the results have not been called in a number of races around the country. One of those is Colorado’s 4th congressional district, where Democratic challenger Eileen Laubacher, a former rear admiral in the US Navy who retired from the service in 2024 after 34 years of service, is running against Republican incumbent Rep. Lauren Boebert. No winner has yet been announced, although Laubacher is several thousand votes ahead of Boebert with nearly all ballots counted.

Other outstanding races include:

• Florida’s 7th Congressional District. Democrat Bale Dalton, who served in the US Navy and Navy Reserve for 24 years and is a former NASA chief of staff, is running against Republican candidate Ryan Elijah.
• North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District. US Army veteran Raymond Smith Jr. is challenging incumbent Republican Greg Murphy. 

The Florida and North Carolina races have not been called yet, although Elijah and Murphy are ahead.

Four Newly Elected Republican Veterans Are Standing by Hegseth

Not every veteran who is heading to Washington, DC, supports removing Hegseth from office. Republican Representative-elect Chris McGowan of Iowa’s 4th Congressional District has publicly stated his support for the “Secretary of War,” Hegseth’s preferred title.

McGowan served in the Iowa Air National Guard for six years. He has largely defended the administration’s military strike against Iran, noting it followed decades of hostile rhetoric.

“I support the decision,” McGowan said. “But I also recognize that we have put an awful lot of young men and young women in harm’s way.”

Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL who served in the military for 30 years, defeated Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District in a bruising primary fight in May before winning the deep-red district in the general election. Gallrein has also supported Hegseth; the defense secretary actively campaigned on his behalf against Massie, a prominent Republican skeptic of the Iran war, during the primary.

Jace Yarbrough, of the 32nd Congressional District in Texas, served in the US Air Force and Air Force Reserve for 15 years and reached the rank of major. As a lawyer, he touted his legal work challenging the military over past “vaccine mandates, religious discrimination, taxpayer-funded abortion travel, and woke diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.”

Senator-elect Barry Moore won the Alabama Senate seat vacated by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville after he announced his run for governor. Moore, a former representative and a close Trump ally, served in the Alabama National Guard and the US Army Reserve for seven years.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. He has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines, and websites over a 30-year career in journalism, including Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author at Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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