Most Americans are aware of the 535 Senators and Representatives which make up the United States Congress. However, there are also 5 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner – all six of whom do not enjoy voting power on the final passage of legislation, but they do enjoy many other benefits of lawmaking such as the power to introduce and cosponsor bills, among other privileges. Collectively, there are 541 Members of Congress—473 of which are up for reelection in November (note: Puerto Rico’s delegate, called a “Resident Commissioner,” is elected for a four-year term).
All of these legislators thrive at one political aspect or another, such as a senator who dominates a committee hearing or morning news interview, or a representative who excels at town hall functions and social media. And so, in checking the pulse of our membership, a handful of members of the Democrats Abroad Global Veterans and Military Families (VMF) Caucus were recently asked:
“As we begin 2026, which member (or members) of Congress are you watching closely, and why?”
The responses we received varied from senators and representatives to former lawmakers to current congressional candidates. VMF asked this question as the 119th Congress, 2nd Session formally began its work for the remainder of the year, and we’re pleased to share the responses we received below:
“As someone from California, I’m excited to see progressive champion Congressman Ro Khanna and an up-and-coming leader named Congresswoman Luz Rivas and what they’ll do this year. Congressman Khanna in particular has been a terrific watchdog on ICE’s questionable snatch-and-grab tactics. I’m also eager to hear more from Democratic firebrands Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Jasmine Crockett. And finally, former Congresswoman Mary Peltola is looking to return to Congress and I feel her perspective as a Native American woman in the Senate is needed now more than ever. It’s not a question of negotiating with MAGA extremists – we need to retake the House, defend or flip the Senate, and re-direct the country’s policies on major issues like healthcare, climate, economic inequality, and digital rights.”
-Sandra Van Auken, Australia
“For the 2026 election year, I’m not necessarily watching the Congress-critters ‘closely’ but rather I’m paying attention to the candidates for U.S. Senate in the Texas primaries. Jasmine Crockett, bold and certainly not afraid of being outspoken, is quick to challenge Republicans. Her opponent, James Talarico, is a former teacher of two years, a Texas state representative with leadership potential, and a Presbyterian seminarian studying to be a minister. While Crockett has significant fundraising power and currently has the advantage in name recognition both in Texas and nationally, Talarico believes his approach to politics is the best chance to defeat the eventual Republican Senate candidate. National Democrats ‘would be mistaken’ to not pay close attention to this race, according to Senator Chuck Shumer. Texas has been without Democratic (read democratic) representation in the Senate for decades, and as a Texas voter I can say with certainty we are long, long overdue. Both candidates absolutely deserve a close watch as they have an eye on the future and I expect a larger future for both. Can Texas beat the ongoing Republican curse and actually elect a real senator this year? The current odds may show an uphill path, but with my vote, I’m hoping against the odds. But also, another person to watch during 2026 is Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. What will she be looking at after this year’s midterms? Will she pursue the Senate, run for another term another term in the House, or even, dare I say, the presidency?”
-Wayne Beverly, Thailand
“Two dangerous bills that grabbed my attention last year were voter suppression bills called the SAVE Act and the PROVE Act. Because the PROVE Act was sponsored by Congressman Abe Hamedeh (R-AZ-8) and is cosponsored by Congressmembers Tim Burchett (R-TN-2), Andy Ogles (R-TN-5), Dave Schweikert (R-AZ-1), and Barry Loudermilk (R-GA-11), I’ll be closely watching to see if they try to advance any other extreme legislation that’s harmful to Americans living abroad like myself. On the other hand, the SAVE Act has already passed one chamber of Congress and it did so with the help of a handful of Democratic Congresspersons. So I’ll be watching Democratic leaders like Katherine Clark to inspire the Democratic Caucus and Jim Clyburn to provide his longtime wisdom and guidance for anyone else considering crossing party lines to support more MAGA bills that make voting harder for the Americans abroad community.”
-Lucia J. Perez, Spain
“The Senate lawmakers I’ve been following and will continue to follow in the new year are Senators Mark Kelly, Ruben Gallego, Tammy Duckworth, Adam Schiff, Elissa Slotkin, Amy Klobuchar, and Raphael Warnock. And in the House of Representatives, I’m following the actions of Congresspersons Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, Jasmine Crockett, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, and Jared Moskowitz. These are the individuals that I see more often than most who are making high-impact speeches and speaking out on issues. As a retired Marine, you look to people who, by all standards and integrity, stand and deliver. Remember, Marines swear an oath to the Constitution of the United States, just like Members of Congress do. But there’s a slight difference in these jobs. In the fine print on my contract it states that someone might try to end your life permanently. On the other hand, theirs doesn’t state anything about death threats to themselves, their families, or their staff that work for them. It’s clear to me that the lawmakers I mentioned have been trying to deliver for the American people - not just for their own communities. What they do has helped all of us in ways we may never know, and the sacrifices that they have made for us so that we can have a better life. Sometimes you just have to listen and have patience. And when you do that, the world you live in will become clear. Yet, some Congress-people have clearly strayed from the path of righteousness. In my opinion, on November 3rd we need to collectively vote out all those politicians selling the voters ‘snake oil’ and immediately restore congressional oversight over the this Executive Branch gone rogue.”
-George Bottorff, Austria
“This is easy: I’ll be watching Senator Bernie Sanders. In his career as the country’s leading progressive populist and the second most successful socialist ever to run for President—beaten only by Eugene Victor Debs, Bernie Sanders has wielded unrivalled influence over American politics. Even when he chaired the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, he was the one who negotiated with Senator John McCain and other conservatives to pass bipartisan bills that helped reform vets’ benefits and health care. Remember, there’s a reason why so many disabled veterans love him – his policies such as Medicare For All are attractive to voters because veterans know that if something like that passed, they wouldn’t have to fight the VA to finally get all their health needs covered—period. And since Trump 2.0, the senator has continued to spearhead issues that resonate with working families, and he also continues to appeal to Americans nationwide with his call for resistance against Trump’s increasing authoritarianism, his undermining of the foundations of American democracy, and everything this country has stood for since its inception. Along with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie also has organized and led the ongoing ‘Fighting Oligarchy Tour’ to take on the oligarchs and corporate interests that have amassed too much political power and influence in America. Bernie has become an unrivaled force in American politics and an icon who at 84 is still going strong – unlike Trump, whose mental stability has obviously been declining. I’m grateful Bernie remains a leader in the national discourse of so many issues being paid attention to by working families, and yes, I’m thrilled he recently filed to run for reelection in 2030.”
-David Mattson, Germany
“I’m keeping a close eye on my GOP member of Congress, Rep. Ryan McKenzie (PA 7th District). He won his seat representing our very, very purple district by 1.0 points in 2024. He so far has voted for Trump’s priorities 98% of the time. I am fascinated to see how he squares this with the voters as we approach the 2026 election. The last Republican to hold this seat was former Rep. Charlie Dent, known as a leader of the Tuesday Group of Centrist Republicans. Dent is now an outspoken critic of the Trump government. I foresee a serious fight for the PA07 Congressional District this year.”
-Carmelan Polce, Australia
“I’ve been keeping a close eye on Representatives Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, particularly around their bipartisan push for the release of the [Jeffrey] Epstein files. What concerns me most is not just the content of the files, but the fact that Congress passed a law and the Department of Justice has still not complied with it. As a veteran, this would be a no-brainer if a service member received a lawful order and simply chose to not follow through on it. I’m deeply worried about our democracy—and at the same time closely watching—to see whether Congress will actually enforce its own authority and hold the Department of Justice accountable for failing to obey the law, or if lawmakers will continue letting the president act in manner where he’s the only one above the law. Saying that out loud is unsettling in itself: the idea that the Department of Justice would be in violation of a law passed by Congress when it has had ample time to implement what Congress has required on behalf of the American people. That breakdown in accountability is exactly why this issue matters and why I’m paying attention.”
-Sergio Domeyko, Chile
“I’ve got my eye on the junior U.S. Senator from Missouri, Eric Schmitt, whose current term ends on January 3, 2029. Allow me to elaborate: The cornerstone of our home nation is the U.S. Constitution, ratified by the original thirteen States in 1790. This bold document, of course, led to guaranteed freedoms along with responsibilities granted to the American people via the Bill of Rights – but as we all know, these were not applicable to Black slaves and America’s indigenous populations. Additionally, a very clear separation of State and church was purposely established in the fledgling country to avoid the tragic heritage of European forms of ‘divine right’ kingship. Thus, when Senator Schmitt claimed in September 2025 at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington, D.C., ‘We Americans are the sons and daughters of the Christian pilgrims that poured out from Europe’s shores to baptize a new world in their ancient faith. Our ancestors were driven here by destiny, possessed by urgent and fiery conviction, by burning belief, devoted to their cause and their God,’ – he was really saying that non-whites in North America are, by definition, non-American. According to Schmitt, the ‘original settlers’ were creating a ‘homeland’ for themselves and for all of their descendants, and for nobody else. This is a dangerous viewpoint for a U.S. lawmaker because it is a false interpretation of the Constitution. It is how white male and patriarchal supremacists (many of whom are also theocrats) define America. The lies and misrepresentation of the Constitution in Schmitt’s speech should deny him from holding public office. But we know that neither of the U.S. Senators from Missouri – neither Schmitt nor Josh Hawley (term to end on January 3, 2031, who openly supported the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021) – actually care about the truth. A twisted, non-existent version of U.S. history is what they want to proclaim so as to gain the votes of those American citizens who refuse to accept that everyone is created equal by Constitutional law. This blind vision leaves obviously no place for the majority of U.S. citizens including the America’s original inhabitants who’ve been on the North American continent for at least 60,000 years; women, who represent 51% of US population; all non-white males; and anybody else whom they don’t consider to be just like themselves. The bottom line is that Schmitt is extremely dangerous because he knowingly plays tricks with rhetoric to manipulate his ignorant and bigoted male voters because those are the things they want to hear. He is what Socrates defined as a Sophist. I am definitely keeping my eye on him.
-Judith Crews, France
“I’ll be paying attention to several lawmakers. First and foremost, I’ll be watching how the lawmakers who specifically represent me – Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, and Representative Eric Sorensen. I’ll also keep an eye on the actions of every member serving on the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees since they are the ones who are the go-to legislators on the issues affecting the veteran community. Could the concerns of veterans and military retirees living abroad finally be addressed by Congress? We shall see.”
-Michael Ramos, Australia
All VMF members are encouraged to share their opinion on the above-posed question or any other VMF-related matter by doing any of the following:
Sending an e-mail to: [email protected]
Speaking up at one of our monthly virtual meetings
Messaging us on Facebook, Instagram, or X (formerly Twitter)
Communicating with any of VMF’s leaders on the Steering Committee
U.S. citizens living abroad, both civilian and military, are highly encouraged to check your voter registration status and request your ballot for any upcoming elections in your home voting state that you are eligible to vote in.
The VMF Caucus has a membership of over 1,400 members located in dozens of countries and proudly consists of veterans, military family members, Department of Defense civilians, other national security professionals, and strong allies of veterans and military family causes.
For questions pertaining to this statement, please reach out to
[email protected].