In my own research, I found that voters overwhelmingly perceive congressional candidates with military experience to be more able to handle national security and defense issues.
Both studies indicate that veteran candidates can draw support or esteem from voters of the other party more than non-veteran candidates. One source for these effects is also clear. Americans have very high confidence in the military as an institution; no other institution enjoys higher levels.
But these advantages are small compared with other factors that drive election outcomes and will not matter much if the underlying conditions are insurmountable. Advantages shared by veterans might be relevant in close races, but they are hardly going to get an unknown candidate to win a district tilted toward the other party defended by a long-term incumbent.
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