With Honor Action Tracks Record 752 Veterans Running for Congress in 2026, Including Historic Surge in Women Veterans

New data show veterans running in all 50 states, a 47% increase from 2024, and a 137% jump in women veterans seeking federal office.

WASHINGTON, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- With Honor Action today released new data showing a wave of military veterans stepping forward to serve in Congress: 752 veterans across all 50 states have run or are running for federal office this cycle, the highest number With Honor Action has tracked since it began monitoring veteran candidates in 2018.

The figure marks a 47% increase from 2024, when With Honor Action tracked 513 veterans running for federal office, and surpasses the previous high of 744 veteran candidates in 2022.

The most dramatic growth is among women veterans. With Honor Action is tracking 95 women veterans running or who have run for federal office in 2026, up from 40 in 2024 — a 137% increase and the highest number the organization has ever tracked.

The updated numbers build on public reporting earlier this year by The 19th News that women veterans were already running for Congress in record-breaking numbers. At the time, The 19th reported that 71 women veterans were running in 2026. With Honor Action's latest tracking shows that the number has continued to rise as the midterm cycle accelerates.

"At a time when Americans are exhausted by division and hungry for leaders who know what it means to serve something larger than themselves, veterans are stepping forward in historic numbers," said Rye Barcott, Co-Founder and CEO of With Honor and author of Courage Can Save US: Ten Extraordinary Americans and the Fight for Our Future. "This is not a red wave or a blue wave — it is a service wave. These candidates come from different parties and different branches of the military, but they share lived experience in mission, sacrifice, accountability, and putting country first."

Roughly 41% of veteran candidates tracked this cycle are post-9/11 veterans, signaling that a new generation shaped by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is continuing to enter public life.

The data are being released as Bloomsbury publishes Barcott's new book, Courage Can Save US, which profiles ten public servants — five Democrats and five Republicans — who carried their ethos of service into public life. The book includes leaders such as New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Navy veteran and the first female military veteran elected governor in U.S. history.

By the numbers:

• 752 veterans running or who have run for Congress in the 2026 election cycle
  • A 47% increase from the 513 veterans tracked in the 2024 election cycle
  • 363 Republicans, 294 Democrats, and 95 as independents or third-party candidates
  • 48.2% Republicans, 39.15% Democrats (the highest percentage of Democrats since With Honor Action's tracking), and 12.65% as independents or third-party candidates
• Roughly 41% are post-9/11 veterans
• 95 women veterans running or who have run for Congress in 2026
  • A 137% increase from the 40 women veterans tracked in the 2024 election cycle
  • 53 Democrats, 28 Republicans, 14 as independent or third-party candidates
  • 56% Democrats, 29% Republicans, and 15% as independents or third-party candidates

With Honor Action has tracked veteran candidates through candidate databases, FEC filings, news reports, and other online sources, confirming both candidacy and veteran status. The 2026 data include candidates for the U.S. House and Senate, congressional special elections, and candidates who announced campaigns but later withdrew or suspended their campaigns. The numbers reflect With Honor Action's tracking as of June 1, 2026, and may change as additional filing deadlines close.

About With Honor

With Honor Action fights polarization in Congress by supporting principled veterans across party lines who pledge to serve with integrity, civility, and courage. With Honor Action works alongside the bipartisan For Country Caucus in Congress to pass critical legislation for our nation. With Honor Action is a 501(c)(4), which serves as the organization's policy and social-welfare arm. With Honor has an affiliated federally registered "super PAC" called With Honor Fund III. Learn more about our work at WithHonor.org.

Contact: Susan Forbes, [email protected]

SOURCE With Honor Action