Be All that You Can Be

Abstract

Former military service has long been considered a plus for the résumé of a political candidate, presumably because voters may rely on this information as a shortcut by which to make inferences about the candidates and cast ballots accordingly. Previous research has demonstrated that such heuristics frequently affect vote decisions, but few studies have examined the impact of candidates' military background on support at the polls; moreover, existing research is largely observational, leaving open crucial questions about causal impact. We build on this work by conducting an original survey experiment imbedded in a national survey in 2008 to test the effects of labeling a candidate an Iraq War veteran. Formulating our hypotheses from known issue and trait stereotypes of the military, we demonstrate that military experience can be helpful to some candidates under some conditions. The experimental evidence we present shows that stereotypes based on both issue position (military intervention) and issue ownership (Republican ties) matter to voters facing a military candidate, but only when that candidate is a Democrat. The results we report support the notion that voters rely on information shortcuts, but we find that there is considerable heterogeneity in the impact of heuristics.

See G.I. Jane Run: The Rise of Female Military Veteran Candidates for Congress

“…Women in Congress may also be more collaborative and consensus-oriented (Kathlene, 1994; Reingold, 1996), traits that may appeal to voters in the current political climate of polarization and legislative gridlock. The public perceive veterans as more trustworthy and willing to put the needs of the country before their own and as possessing leadership ability and key national security knowledge and experience, viewing them as better able to handle national security and defense (McDermott & Panagopoulos, 2015; Teigen, 2013). Given the salience of national security in the United States, it is unsurprising that military experience is the single most important positive characteristic in a presidential candidate for voters of both parties (Pew Research Center, 2014), and indeed, veterans are numerically overrepresented in Congress.…”

Candidate Identity and Campaign Priming: Analyzing Voter Support for Pete Buttigieg’s Presidential Run as an Openly Gay Man

“…4 Each presidential election between 1944 and 2008 had at least a veteran on the ballot, and until the 1970s three-quarters of Congresspeople were veterans (Teigen 2017). Voters see candidates with a military background as more competent on security and defense issues, which increases the level of electoral support (Teigen 2013; McDermott and Panagopoulos 2015). And while veterans do not always have an advantage in general elections, they tend to outperform in purple districts (Teigen 2017; 2018).…”

“…We also believe that Buttigieg’s veteran status might mitigate the negative impact of his outness (hypothesis 2 ). Not only are candidates with a military background in the United States seen as competent leaders on key issues like national security and defense, which in turn increases their electoral support (Teigen 2013; McDermott and Panagopoulos 2015). These cues also challenge the stereotypes associated with gay men that reduce support among some voters, such as femininity, lack of assertiveness, and liberal ideology (Golebiowska 2001; Magni and Reynolds 2021a).…”

The new corruption crusaders: Security sector ties as an anti-corruption voting heuristic

“…For example, candidates who work in the education sector are perceived to be more competent to serve on the school board (Atkeson and Hamel 2020). Professional affiliations may also provide hints about the candidate's ideology and which areas the candidate is expected to focus on (Crowder-Meyer et al 2020;Kirkland and Coppock 2018;McDermott and Panagopoulos 2015).…”