Photo: Nathan Howard/AP.
Representative-elect Nancy Lacore of South Carolina arrives at the AC Hotel during new member orientation in Washington, on Nov. 8, 2026. Lacore had been removed by the Secretary of Defense from her job overseeing 60,000 sailors as the chief of the Navy Reserve. He gave no reason.
On Veterans Day, I’m thinking of the many veterans who keep on serving their country after active duty. What is particularly striking this November is the number of women veterans who will be serving in Congress.
Jennifer H. Svan writes at Stars and Stripes, “A record number of women veterans are headed to Congress following last week’s midterm elections, including a retired three-star Navy admiral who was removed from her post last year. … Nancy Lacore was one of at least 10 women veterans who won their House races in last week’s midterms. The group includes a Marine drill instructor, an Army special operations officer, a Navy helicopter and test pilot and an Air Force nurse.
“Eight of the winners were Democrats and two were Republicans, according to the nonpartisan veterans advocacy group With Honor. They’ll join Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D. Ill.), who was not up for reelection, when they’re sworn in early next year. At least 11 women veterans will serve in the new Congress, up from nine and the most in history, the group said. …
” ‘I was never given a reason when I was removed from my position in August 2025,’ Lacore told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. ‘I don’t think any of the other generals and admirals were ever given reasons either.’ [The Secretary of Defense] in September said the Pentagon is eliminating about one in five generals and admirals through firings or position cuts, a move he says is meant to reduce bureaucracy and streamline military leadership. … The cuts are part of a broader overhaul that has included dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs and removing numerous senior officers, including women and minorities. …
“Over half the women veterans who won their races were running for political office for the first time. Women veterans ‘gained ground at every stage” of the 2026 election, ‘With Honor’ said in a statement last week, noting that at least 95 ran for Congress, more than double the 40 who ran in 2024. In the general election, 38 of the 258 veterans on the ballot were women, up from 21 in 2024.
“The incoming lawmakers have a range of priorities that extend well beyond military and defense issues. Many of them said they were motivated to enter politics by some of the same frustrations that voters identified at the polls: the rising cost of living, political polarization and a desire to leave their country better for future generations, including, for the moms in the group, their children. …
“In Ohio’s 10th congressional district, Air Force veteran and nurse practitioner Kristina Knickerbocker narrowly defeated Republican incumbent Mike Turner. The first-time Democratic candidate campaigned on improving health care and making everyday expenses more affordable. Knickerbocker said her experiences as a mother, service member and health care provider helped prepare her for the challenges of public office. ‘I never imagined this is where life would lead me, but my kids, my military service and my patients taught me how resilience often results when you are tasked with the unimaginable,’ she said in a statement last week. …
“[JoAnna Mendoza, the first woman Marine veteran to be elected to Congress] focused on helping veterans. She vowed to expand Department of Veterans Affairs specialty care in rural communities and support legislation that strengthens mental health services and housing support, among other veterans issues. …
“In Florida, Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a former airfield management specialist in the Air Force and Air National Guard, won a close race in the Tampa region. Republican Rep. Sheri Biggs, an Air National Guard lieutenant colonel, defended her seat in South Carolina’s 3rd congressional district. Luna credited her victory to hard work on the campaign trail, particularly knocking on voters’ doors. ‘Door knocking wins elections,’ she wrote on X.”
At the Stars and Stripes, here, you can read about all the female veterans who will be in Congress come January.
