Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss won the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' Fourth Congressional District earlier this month. Auchincloss won by just over 2,000 votes against candidate Jesse Mermell in the crowded Democratic primary and will now face Republican Julie Hall, an Air Force veteran, in the November election.
Auchincloss, a veteran who formerly served as a captain in the United States Marines, spoke with Boston Public Radio on Monday about why it's important to elect veterans to Congress. Currently, under 20 percent of members in Congress have served in the military.
"I do think it helps to have more veterans in Congress. I think it gives a healthy skepticism of war," Auchincloss said. "Famously, the presidents who had served in the military were the ones who were least willing to wage wars overseas."
Auchincloss added that if elected, he'll be a loud voice in Congress in lowering the Pentagon's budget.
"I'm someone who believes the Pentagon's budget is wildly inflated and needs to be cut by at least 10 percent over the next 10 years, if not more," he said.
