 AP Photo/Steven Senne |
ATLANTA (AP) -- Democrats hope to enlist military veterans in another type of fight - for majority control of the House.
Looking ahead to next year's elections, Democrats are trying to recruit at least two dozen military veterans to challenge Republican incumbents.
Democrats say candidates with military on their resumes appeal to independent voters and can help the party break the GOP grip on Washington.
Several veterans already have announced their bids in some of the 79 Republican-held House districts that national Democratic leaders have identified as top targets.
Decades ago, veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam were mainstays in Congress. But the change to an all-volunteer force in 1973 sent those numbers plummeting.
The extended post-Sept. 11 conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq helped reverse the trend.