How Former Airmen Fared in the 2026 Midterm Elections

Fourteen former Airmen were elected to Congress in the 2026 midterms, which overturned leadership for the next Congress.

Two more are leading in unresolved contests, so that if both win their races, there could be as many as 17 veterans in Congress come January—a slight uptick from the past Congress. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), a former Air Force judge advocate general, is the lone former Airman in the Senate.

Another 18 or so Air Force vets on the ballot lost their races, and three more are trailing in undecided contests.

Retired F-22 pilot Rep. August Pfluger (R-Tex.), a retired colonel who cruised to reelection Nov. 3, announced the following day his candidacy for Republican Whip, the House Republicans’ No. 2 leadership post after Minority Leader.

Among the Air Force veterans elected, 11 are Republicans and six are Democrats. They hail from New Jersey to Iowa to California and include former JAGs, pilots, and enlisted personnel. Most of those elected were incumbents seeking reelection, but three—and possibly a fourth—are political newcomers:

Rebecca Bennett (D-N.J.), a former Navy helicopter pilot turned Air National Guard member.
Chris McGowan (R-Iowa), served in the Air Force and Iowa Air National Guard. Having attended Undergraduate Pilot Training, he reclassified as an intelligence officer, according to his official bio.
Jace Yarborough (R-Texas) has served in the Active-Duty and Reserve and supported the Space Force. A lawyer, he touts his legal work challenging the military over past “vaccine mandates, religious discrimination, taxpayer-funded abortion travel, and woke diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.” The Associated Press has yet to call his race, but he has declared victory and his opponent said in a social media post that “it appears our campaign may have fallen just short.”
The other potential newcomer—still not assured as of late Nov. 4—is Kristina Knickerbocker (D-Ohio), an Air Force major and nurse, who is leading her race against Rep. Michael Turner. The Associated Press and other media outlets have yet to call the race.

One other unsettled race involves former Airman Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who at this writing leads her race by less than one percentage point. Neither AP nor other major media outlets have called the race so far.

In another close race, Rep. Don Davis (R-N.C.), an Air Force Academy grad who represents the district that includes Seymour-Johnson Air Force Base, holds a three percentage point lead over his rival, retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout. While the AP has yet to call that race, Buckhout has already conceded.

Nationwide, the midterm election delivered majorities in both the House and Senate for the Democrats, giving them control of both the House and Senate.

Current Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.), won reelection, but said he would not seek election as Minority Leader in the next Congress. His No. 2, current House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalese (R-La.), said he would run for the Minority Leader role. The significant gains by Democrats appear to have encouraged Pfluger, a rising star in Republican circles and the leader of the influential Republican Study Committee in the current Congress, to pursue a leadership role.

“Championship teams take the time to debrief after every game,” Pfluger wrote in a letter to his Republican colleagues. “We need fresh ideas and a leadership team committed to rebuilding a culture with a clear game plan to win in 2028. I’m running for Republican Whip because I believe that I am capable and can be trusted to implement the changes this team needs.”

Pfluger faces competiton, as the current whip, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), also is running for the job.