As of right now, there are fewer than 100 military veterans in both the U.S. House and Senate. That's less than 20% of Capitol Hill. Compare that to the 1970s, when around 75% of Congress was made up of veterans. Now, one group is pushing for change, looking to get more veterans and others who've taken part in national service programs to try their hand at politics.
Emily Cherniack ( @new_poli) is the founder and executive director of New Politics, and one of her big success stories is Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA). New Politics is an organization that recruits individuals with backgrounds in military service and civic engagement to run for political office. The intention is to bring a new generation of political leaders that have a service-oriented perspective instead of a political agenda.
Cherniack’s involvement in national service started with her work in AmeriCorps. After working on the US Senate campaign of Alan Khazei, Cherniack realized that tapping into the potential of service volunteers can make an impact on how politicians serve the country. She believes that people who serve the country usually have a lack of ego that allows them to put the country first. The lack of ego can be a very powerful tool. One of her great campaign success stories is Representative Seth Moulton (D-MA). ( @sethmoulton)
Rep. Moulton was never involved in politics, until he received a phone call from Cherniack. Cherniack explained that the district was in need of great leadership and that he had the potential to use his experience in the U.S. Marines for a position in congress. She also assured Moulton that he wouldn’t campaign alone, but that she would be there for his campaign through the entire process.
Rep. Moulton’s experience in congress has proven that he sees his role as ‘country first.’ Moulton publicly criticized the Obama administration about the lack of direction in the support for the Iraqi military, after a friend of his (an Iraqi Army officer) was killed by ISIS. He also publicly speaks about Donald Trump as being “treasonous” in his policy proposals during the presidential campaign.
Moulton described that in the Marines he worked with people from different states, religious backgrounds, and beliefs. However, despite their differences they all worked together toward for one single purpose. Cherniack is using that mindset to build a pipeline from city governments to national government for service-oriented leaders through New Politics.
