Service Above Self - by Erika Cornelius Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

"The year 1992 was dubbed the "Year of the Woman," but twenty-six years later there was a second year of the woman. In 2018, Americans elected a record-breaking four women as senators and 24 women as representatives to Congress. What received less media attention is the fact that the 2018 midterm elections also saw nearly 200 military veterans on the ballot, a dozen of whom were women-the highest number ever. Sixteen former service members-including three women-won their races, the most "new" veterans since 2010. The number of veterans seeking political office increased slightly again in 2020. Among them were 24 women, nearly doubling the number seeking election in 2018 midterms. Despite the growing presence of women candidates with military service or intelligence backgrounds in American politics, there is no book examining who they are, what motivated them to enter politics, how they have constructed their messages, and how they have connected their experiences in the military to public service. Service above Self explores this burgeoning area of interest by looking closely at the careers of women with military, quasi-military, or intelligence backgrounds in the House and Senate, including Elaine Luria, Chrissy Houlahan, Elissa Slotkin, Tammy Duckworth, Joni Ernst, Martha McSally, and Tulsi Gabbard. Service above Self tells the stories of these pathbreaking women and points the way for future study"--

Book Synopsis

The 2018 midterm elections were both record-breaking and pathbreaking. Americans elected four women to the Senate along with twenty-four women to the House. At the same time, nearly two hundred veterans were on ballots across the country, including a dozen women with military service experience, three of whom won their races. Two years later, female veterans campaigned for office at every level--including a run for presidential nominee of a major party. Service above Self: Women Veterans in American Politics explores this burgeoning area of interest by looking closely at the careers of former servicewomen in US politics.

Despite the growing presence of women candidates with military service or intelligence backgrounds in elected office throughout the United States, this is the first book to examine the motivation, messaging, and connections between military and public service for female veterans. Erika Cornelius Smith unravels the stories of the many trailblazing women--including Elaine Luria, Chrissy Houlahan, Elissa Slotkin, Tammy Duckworth, Joni Ernst, Martha McSally, and Tulsi Gabbard--and points the way for future studies.

Inspired by their diverse paths to politics, the unique ways in which they communicate their experience, as well as their policy positions, this work explores several important questions: What motivates servicewomen to run for office? When do their backgrounds in military service align with their mission for public service? How does experience as a servicemember affect their ability to navigate gendered stereotypes about female candidates and foreign policy? The answers revealed in their personal and professional narratives shed light on this historically significant cohort of political leaders.

The first scholarly synthesis of women with military, quasimilitary, or intelligence backgrounds competing in political campaigns, Service above Self examines a long history of US women who served in or adjacent to the US military and translated those experiences into elected office. It is the first analysis of how they transitioned from national defense to public service--and what they did when they got to Washington, DC.

Review Quotes

"Smith is breaking new ground here, and this book has a place on the shelf of anyone studying this new wave of veteran Congresswomen."--Perspectives on Politics

"In Service above Self: Women Veterans in American Politics, Erika Cornelius Smith offers an engaging and timely look at how military service shapes political ambition and personal narratives for women running for and serving in Congress. This well-researched book adds to the growing literature on the role of gender in public service in both elected and appointed positions as well as public policymaking. As more women run for and win political office, prior military service is a relevant aspect of political leadership. It will inevitably become more important as the potential for electing women at all levels of government continues to expand."--Lori Cox Han, professor of political science, Chapman University, and author of Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan