{"id":63944,"date":"2019-02-27T20:58:29","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T20:58:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/02\/27\/why-democratic-candidates-should-court-the-veteran-vote-in-2020\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T12:11:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T12:11:37","slug":"why-democratic-candidates-should-court-the-veteran-vote-in-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/opinion\/commentary\/2019\/02\/27\/why-democratic-candidates-should-court-the-veteran-vote-in-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Democratic candidates should court the veteran vote in 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During the 2018 election cycle, 11 women military veterans<\/a> ran for Congress as Democrats. As with their military male veteran counterparts, they ran out of a sense of purpose and duty to the country, much of which stemmed from Hillary Clinton\u2019s recent loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though most of our candidates did not win, maintaining their momentum is key to reclaiming the White House in 2020. With veterans leading the charge in 2016<\/a>, one would assume that national security, defense, and veterans and military family issues would be front and center for those Democratic candidates who have already announced, yet they are not<\/a>. Sadly, this fact is the norm \u2014 and one that quickly requires fixing if Democratic leaders wish to our next president to be of our party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This past October, The New York Times wrote about the frustrations and rewards of being a military veteran who is a Democratic activist. Frustrating, because other than a \u201cRah Rah\u201d here and there, we do not receive much in terms of tangible support or resources. Rewarding, because as trained leaders, despite the lack of support, we do great, jaw-dropping work that lands Democrats in elected offices. In other words, despite the odds, we get the job done.<\/p>\n\n\n\t