Covid experience pulls health professionals into politics: record 125 run in US midterms
Photo: Collected
At least 125 doctors, nurses and public health experts are standing as candidates in this year’s US midterm elections — a number that can be called a record. Yet people from these professions have historically taken relatively little part in the country’s politics.
According to a CNN report, the Covid-19 pandemic was a major factor in drawing many in the medical sector into politics. The political tensions around health and science during the pandemic, the real-world impact of public health decisions and how essential the role of health experts is in government policymaking — all of this has turned them towards politics anew.
Early in the pandemic, doctors were honoured from many quarters. But as time went on, many of them faced work pressure, personal setbacks and political hostility. Some doctors and health officials also had to deal with threats and obstruction amid discontent over scientific information and public health guidance. Several candidates say it was during the pandemic that they realised how deep the link is between health and science on one hand and government decisions and politics on the other.
In Michigan’s Senate race, Democratic candidate Dr Abdul El-Sayed, former health director of Wayne County, is up against Republican candidate Mike Rogers. Drawing on his life as a doctor, he said that sitting beside someone who is sick or in pain, listening to them and using one’s knowledge to help them make the right decision — that is what medicine teaches. The same responsibility has to be carried out in politics.
Several well-known figures from the health sector are running for various key posts this time. In Ohio, the Democratic candidate for governor is preventive medicine specialist Dr Amy Acton, who was the much-discussed public health director during the tenure of Republican Governor Mike DeWine. Her opponent is Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, a biotech billionaire.
In California, Democratic Congressman Xavier Becerra is running for governor; he was secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under President Joe Biden. His rival is Republican media personality Steve Hilton.
In South Carolina’s Senate race, paediatrician and Democrat Dr Annie Andrews is standing against Republican Senator Darline Graham.
People with business experience in the health sector are also in the electoral arena this time. In New Hampshire, the candidate for governor is health care lawyer and Democrat Cinde Warmington. In Georgia, Republican candidate Rick Jackson, founder and chief executive officer of Jackson Healthcare, is running for governor.
Dr Christopher Shields, historian and director of Rutgers University’s ‘Eagleton Center on the American Governor’, said he had never before seen such a picture in politics. In his view, the link between politics and science has always been somewhat weak.
Fewer than 10 percent of current members of the US Congress hold degrees in medicine, public health or engineering. Yet 47 percent of senators and 31 percent of members of the House of Representatives have law degrees. There are now four members from the medical field in the Senate — all Republicans, all doctors by profession. They are John Barrasso of Wyoming, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Roger Marshall of Kansas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
The House of Representatives has 17 doctors, four dentists, two pharmacists and one each of nurse practitioner, optometrist and rehabilitation therapist. At state level, the presence of health and science professionals is even lower. An analysis by Rutgers University’s ‘Scientists in State Politics Database’ shows that as of March 2025, only 3 percent of state legislators had a professional background in medicine, science or engineering, which was 25 percent lower than the previous year.
The United States currently has only one doctor governor — Josh Green of Hawaii. No other governor holds a degree in public health. No doctor has ever become president in the country’s history either. The ninth president, William Henry Harrison, did enrol in medical school, but unable to afford his studies, he later joined the military.
An organisation called ‘314 Action’ trains and supports Democrats with professional backgrounds in science, technology, engineering and mathematics to run for office. Its executive director, Eric Pauliak, said applications from would-be candidates have risen significantly this year; they have received more than 700 applications. In other election cycles the number is usually around 200.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has also long been urging doctors to enter politics. To encourage professionals to run for office, the organisation has two political education programmes — a candidate workshop and a campaign school. Senators Bill Cassidy and John Barrasso and members of the House of Representatives Ami Bera and Mariannette Miller-Meeks are alumni of these programmes.
Interest in entering politics has also grown among public health experts. Dr Kristin Hook, a former official of the US National Institutes of Health and the Government Accountability Office, said people began seeking her advice on running for office about a year ago. In 2024 she ran for the first time as the Democratic candidate from Texas’s 21st congressional district and lost; she is contesting the same seat again this time.
According to Hook, many people from across the country have wanted to run for office and asked about her electoral experience. She has also spoken with many public health experts who have left government jobs. Many of them are entering politics out of an urge to confront the current situation.
Hook herself became a candidate out of opposition to the Trump administration’s anti-science policies. She alleges that thousands of government doctors and scientists have been removed from their jobs, billions of dollars in research funding have been cut, and various public health databases and websites have been deleted. She also claims that long-standing health programmes such as fluoridation of drinking water and childhood vaccination have been damaged.
Health care is now one of the biggest concerns of ordinary American voters. Various opinion polls show that, alongside fuel prices, they are also worried about the cost of health care. Analysts say Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ could cause at least another 10 million people to lose health insurance coverage. This could be one of the biggest blows to health insurance coverage in the country’s history.
The polls have picked up dissatisfaction with the current leadership of the Department of Health and Human Services not only among health sector candidates but also among the general public. Former HHS secretary Xavier Becerra has also criticised the current leadership’s anti-science stance. In his view, removing the country’s best scientists, doctors and health professionals could bring disaster. When dealing with disasters such as cyclones or pandemics is already hard, adding new man-made crises would put US public health and the economy at great risk.
The impact of the Covid pandemic is especially important behind the rise in participation by health professionals this time. Lori Tremmel Freeman, chief executive of the National Association of County and City Health Officials, said health officials faced intense political attacks during the pandemic. Getting through that experience, or learning from it, has made many of them tougher.
Public health officials usually work away from the limelight. The pandemic brought them onto television screens. For some, that recognition brought death threats and hatred. Amid this, a record number of public health officials quit their jobs. Others, meanwhile, became heroes to people in their own communities.
Former Ohio public health director Amy Acton’s experience was also mixed. There were protests outside her home, but she received even more support from ordinary people in the state. Many watched her regular briefings with Governor Mike DeWine. During the pandemic her image spread on T-shirts and murals; support for her was also seen on T-shirts and in popular culture. The Dayton Daily News described her as Ohio’s most trusted face during the pandemic. A 2020 New York Times editorial called her the kind of leader everyone wished they had.
According to Acton, the strength of the love of the state’s people was far greater than the hatred. She considers working with Governor DeWine an honour. Rising above politics and prioritising people’s health and safety, they tried to save lives.
However, it will not be easy for health professionals to win the support of voters angered by pandemic-era vaccination policies, mask mandates and decisions to close schools and businesses. Woodrow Johnston, an adviser to Republican politicians, said that after Covid, considerable scepticism towards the medical profession has developed, especially among Republican supporters. Many believe they were misled or given false information during the government restrictions and lockdowns.
Various polls show that Democrats trust scientists more than Republicans do. A Pew Research Center survey, however, says that although public trust in scientists fell during the pandemic, it has risen somewhat recently. Another 2026 survey found that ordinary people are more likely to believe scientists will act in the public interest than journalists, business people or elected officials.
In Freeman’s view, a large part of public health officials’ work is implementing solutions by overcoming various political and administrative obstacles. But many do not understand how much political skill this requires. She believes that if experienced people from the health sector enter politics, it could benefit not only health care but other areas as well, because wellbeing and economic prosperity are closely linked.
According to Woodrow Johnston, health and public health experience matters for Republican candidates too. He said he has recently been helping Republican candidates with professional experience in medicine or public health to win. Such candidates can easily connect with certain groups of voters. In his words, sometimes learned people prefer another learned person.
Historian Christopher Shields believes scientists’ technical expertise in running the state is now a need of the times. Besides problems such as inadequate health care, more complex questions lie ahead: how to make artificial intelligence safe, how to increase the use of renewable energy, how to tackle the climate crisis. Solving these problems requires people with scientific knowledge in policymaking positions.
According to Amy Acton, the role of health professionals in senior government posts is not limited to a doctor seeing patients; it also helps improve people’s health and quality of life as a whole. She believes that beyond advances in medicine and technology, government initiatives have made a major contribution to raising life expectancy and living standards.
Citing the examples of clean water, safe food, laws against child labour, free education for all and road safety laws, Acton said it is the government that acts as the driving force in ensuring people’s protection and welfare. Carrying out her duties during Covid, she realised that a governor’s job is much like a doctor’s. Just as a doctor works for all patients, a governor’s duty is likewise to ensure people’s protection by improving their social, economic and environmental conditions.
So health professionals entering politics is not merely a matter of standing for office. For many of them, it is a chance to play a direct role where decisions on science, public health and people’s safety are made. The pandemic experience has made that need even clearer to them.
Background
According to an Al Jazeera report of 26 October, the midterm elections to be held on 3 November will see voting for all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats. Special elections in Florida and Ohio are included in these 35.
A Khaleej Times report of 19 October said the White House, the House of Representatives and the Senate are all currently controlled by the Republicans. To win control of either chamber of Congress, the Democrats need a net gain of four seats.
By the numbers
By the Khaleej Times count of 19 October, Republicans hold 218 seats in the House of Representatives and Democrats 214. In the Senate, Republicans have 53 seats and Democrats 47.
The two sources give different figures for the number of governor races. Al Jazeera on 26 October mentioned 36 states, while Khaleej Times on 19 October mentioned 39 states.
At a glance
US news outlet WTOC reported on 26 August that in South Carolina, Darline Graham, sister of the late Senator Lindsey Graham, has won the Republican nomination for her brother’s seat. She was appointed senator for the remainder of the term two days after her brother’s death. Her rival in the November election is paediatrician Annie Andrews.
Sources
Original report: Ajker Patrika
Background sources: Al Jazeera, 26 October 2026; Khaleej Times, 19 October 2026; WTOC, 26 August 2026
