A poll released by Military Times on Tuesday found that American soldiers resoundingly support real estate mogul and reality television star Donald Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders as candidates for the next commander in chief.
Trump came in first place with 27% of troops supporting him, followed closely by Senator Sanders at 22%. The two candidates are widely viewed as having generally more temperate, non-interventionist foreign policies, with Trump calling for a cessation of hostile rhetoric with Russia, and Sanders pledging to avoid indefinite Middle East quagmires.
Interestingly, Secretary Clinton came in near the bottom, with only 11% support from troops. Her primary opponent, Sanders, has repeatedly assailed Clinton for her 2002 vote to support the Iraq War as evidence that Clinton lacks the requisite judgment.
Despite serving as the nation’s top foreign policy official, Secretary Clinton also suffers with veterans from the fallout of the death of Libyan dictator Muammar Gadhafi, which has left the North African country in tatters and a hotbed for Daesh terror activities.
Clinton’s reputation among the rank-and-file of the nation’s military is further marred by her perceived bungling of the response to the Benghazi terror attacks that left four dead including Ambassador Chris Stevens, the first US ambassador killed in an attack since 1979.
Not all of the nation’s military favored non-intervention, however, with Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz coming in third place, with 17% support, despite making macabre and borderline genocidal statements about carpet bombing the Middle East or seeing whether "sand can glow."
The last place finishers were Marco Rubio with 9%, followed lastly by Ohio Governor John Kasich. Interestingly, Rubio and Kasich, along with Secretary Clinton, have made their foreign policy knowledge and experience a focus of their candidacies.
Secretary Clinton appears to be the outlier in the poll, with the worst rating among top contenders for the nomination, whereas the dismal showing for Kasich and Rubio are comparable to their standing among the civilian population in national polls.
The national poll interviewed 931 active-duty troops, reservists and members of the National Guard.
