The theory that the 2016 election might inspire women to run for all levels of political office proved true within moments of the presidential inauguration, when hundreds of women signed up for seminars on running successful campaigns. Now, less than a month before the 2018 midterm elections on November 6, women hold a record number of spots on ballots across the country.

Among the women inspired to run are eight whose work for the country started years ago, just in another form. In a new campaign video, debuting exclusively on Cosmopolitan.com, eight women who served in the U.S. Navy, Marines Corps, Air Force, and CIA–Abigail Spanberger and Elaine Luria from Virginia, Chrissy Houlahan from Pennsylvania, Gina Ortiz Jones and MJ Hegar from Texas, Amy McGrath from Kentucky, Mikie Sherrill from New Jersey, and Elissa Slotkin from Michigan–speak about how their service inspired them to run for office this year.

"This is the first time I've run for office, and come November 6, I will continue to serve the people," Spanberger, a former federal agent with the CIA, says in the video.

Looking straight to the camera, the eight women each describe their list of achievements serving the country. Photos from their time spent in the military are interspersed.



"I bled on foreign soil for people to have the right to vote," says Hegar, a veteran of the Air Force. "I started realizing maybe I should run myself."



The video, which features only first-time congressional candidates, was created by Serve America PAC, a political action committee started by Seth Moulton, a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts. It was executive-produced by activist Laurie David, who wanted to highlight these women because of their previous commitment to the country.

"They have already served their country in the most prestigious and courageous way, they have already sworn to uphold the constitution of the United States and now they are choosing once again to serve America," David said in a press release. "We all have an obligation too to serve democracy and that is to vote."

Several of the women in the new video have already appeared in viral campaign ads this year. McGrath, who's challenging Republican incumbent Andy Barr in her Kentucky district, released a widely viewed video in August, which directly challenges Barr and Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader.

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Hegar, who's also challenging a Republican incumbent, John Carter, in her Texas district, released a similar ad in June. In it, Hegar—who served three tours in Afghanistan, and then lobbied the Obama administration to lift the ban on women serving in combat—criticized the ease with which Carter has skated through his political career.



"Congressman Carter hasn't had a tough race his entire career, so we'll show him tough," Hegar says in the video. "Then we'll show him the door."

This new video is the first to feature these eight women together.

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Hannah Smothers Hannah writes about health, sex, and relationships for Cosmopolitan, and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram

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