The veteran advantage: the impact of previous military service on electoral performance in the United States

Conventional wisdom posits that past military service gives candidates an advantage when running for elected office, but evidence from observational data is mixed. Using both a matching design and a Regression Discontinuity design, I show that Democratic veterans, but not Republicans, enjoy an advantage when running for the U.S. House of Representatives. This advantage comes mainly from increased appeal to independent voters and some cross-party support from Republicans. There is some evidence that voters who oppose defense cuts are more favorable to Democratic veterans. I also show that Representatives who are veterans tend to be more ideologically moderate, suggesting that Democratic veterans’ success may come from a perceived moderation, allowing them to appeal to a broader electorate.