Politics
Democratic Doctors Surge in 2026 Midterms Amid Health Policy Clash
By Adam Shanks
San Francisco, California – Richard Pan’s campaign website displays the three words “Public Health Hero.” The California paediatrician is among a growing number of public health professionals seeking seats in the U.S. Congress in the upcoming midterm elections. The American College of Gastroenterology estimates that up to 25 physicians could win congressional office this cycle, a record that would bring a new generation of physician‑lawmakers into Washington. While many incumbents are Republicans, experts note a noticeable rise in Democratic doctors and healthcare workers on the ballot, some competing in the most high‑profile races of the year.
Abdul El‑Sayed, a physician and former public health official, is in a close race for Michigan’s open Senate seat. In South Carolina, paediatrician Annie Andrews has turned a traditionally safe Republican Senate seat into a battleground. Advocates attribute the surge of Democratic doctors‑turned‑politicians to frustration with Republican President Donald Trump’s healthcare policies, which many see as anti‑scientific.
“Scientists themselves have woken up. We cannot just abandon the public forum to all of this misinformation, disinformation,” said Eric Feigl‑Ding, an epidemiologist who founded Vax PAC, a group that backs candidates supporting responsible vaccine policies. Feigl‑Ding views the increased political participation as an opportunity to advocate for responsible healthcare policies rather than partisan politics.
Healthcare remains a top concern for voters. A Pew Research Center poll on October 8 identified healthcare as the third most important election issue for Americans, after the economy and the future of U.S. democracy. Eighty‑two percent of Democrats said healthcare was very important, compared with 53 percent of Republicans.
Matt Motta, a policy expert at Boston University’s School of Public Health, notes that healthcare has become increasingly polarized along partisan lines. He cites the 1994 midterm, when Republican Representative Newt Gingrich framed President Bill Clinton’s healthcare reform efforts as “socialism,” and the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under President Barack Obama as key moments in the politicization of health policy.
In recent midterms, Republicans opposed the ACA in 2010, Democrats opposed Trump’s attempts to roll it back in 2018, and Republicans attacked Biden’s pandemic restrictions in 2022. Now, Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a record low of 31 percent, according to Reuters and Ipsos. Trump’s 2024 campaign courted voters skeptical of the American healthcare system, and his appointment of vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary furthered that narrative.
Kennedy has pushed to minimize federal vaccine guidelines and championed cuts to agencies such as the CDC and NIH. Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” last year cut more than $1 trillion from healthcare spending and allowed health insurance subsidies to expire, raising premiums for millions.
Democratic doctors are capitalizing on public frustration. Andrews cited South Carolina’s measles outbreak—997 cases reported between 2025 and 2026—as evidence of the failure of Trump’s health policies. She wrote that the outbreak is a result of politics, not science. El‑Sayed highlighted a recent rise in cyclospora, a parasite spread through fresh produce, blaming federal budget cuts that reduced food inspection capacity.
Currently, the majority of physicians in Congress are Republicans, including all four physicians previously elected to the Senate. However, party dynamics may shift. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican doctor, is stepping down, and Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas faces uncertain re‑election prospects. At least five Democratic newcomers with medical degrees and ten Democratic nurses are running for Congress this year, compared with four Republican nurses, according to Nurse.org.
Not all healthcare professionals share the same policy views. Andrews told NewsNation that “Medicare for All” is an “outdated, non‑pragmatic policy.” El‑Sayed, by contrast, is a strong proponent of the policy and co‑authored a book titled *Medicare for All: A Citizen’s Guide*.
The United States has one of the most expensive healthcare systems among high‑income countries, and affordability is a common theme in Democratic doctors’ campaigns. Andrews has called her agenda the “Patients and Prices Platform” and toured her state under that banner.
California Democrat and doctor Representative Ami Bera said the country is at a key juncture to decide the future of its healthcare system. Bera, who is running for re‑election, believes doctors and patients should be central to the discussion, not just costs. He helped form the Democratic Doctors PAC this year to boost healthcare as an election‑season cause.
Other health‑focused groups have poured resources into the race. The pro‑science advocacy group 314 Action reported in October that it had spent nearly $30 million on this year’s midterms. Bera expressed optimism that healthcare would not become a single‑party issue.
Feigl‑Ding also sees the midterm cycle as an opportunity, citing Democratic primary victory for Amy Acton, former Ohio Department of Health director and gubernatorial candidate, who leads her Republican opponent by seven percentage points in a recent poll. He described the result as historic, noting how often a health director runs for governor and wins the primary before potentially winning the election.