Physicians from both parties are on the Nov. 3 ballot for the House, the Senate and statehouses, and many are running on the same issue: what care costs and who can still get it. The outcome will shape who sits on the committees that write federal health policy next year.
Here are eight things to know about the physicians on the 2026 midterm ballot.
1. 29 physicians are running for Congress or governor
At least 58 clinicians are running for governor or Congress this year, including 29 physicians. The physicians split almost evenly by party: 15 Republicans and 14 Democrats.
Twenty physicians serve in Congress today, 14 Republicans and six Democrats.
2. Congress is losing some of its best-known physicians
Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, R-La., a gastroenterologist and chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, finished third in Louisiana’s May Republican primary, ending his bid for a third term. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., went on to win the nomination over state Treasurer John Fleming, MD, a former congressman, in the June 27 runoff, 57% to 43%, according to NPR affiliate WRKF.
In the House, Rep. Neal Dunn, MD, R-Fla., is retiring, and Mark Green, MD, R-Tenn., resigned his seat in 2025.
3. Kansas’ physician senator is in a toss-up race
Sen. Roger Marshall, MD, R-Kan., an OB-GYN, is in a tighter race than expected against Democrat Adam Hamilton. Sabato’s Crystal Ball moved the contest to toss-up Oct. 14.
An InsiderAdvantage poll conducted Oct. 13-14 put Dr. Marshall ahead 48% to 47%, Newsweek reported. Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932.
4. Three physician challengers are running for Senate
All four physicians now in the Senate are Republicans, according to the Senate Historical Office, as cited by Bloomberg. Three physician challengers from both parties are on Senate ballots:
- South Carolina: Pediatrician Annie Andrews, MD, a Democrat, is challenging Sen. Darline Graham, R-S.C., who was appointed in July after the death of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham. Dr. Andrews would be the first female physician in the Senate, Bloomberg Government reported.
- Delaware: Pediatric anesthesiologist Mike Katz, MD, a Republican and former Democratic state senator, is challenging Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.
- Michigan: Abdul El-Sayed, MD, the Democratic nominee for an open seat, faces Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in a toss-up race. Dr. El-Sayed earned a medical degree but did not complete a residency or obtain a license, which has drawn Republican criticism; 700 Michigan physicians have endorsed him, Becker’s reported, citing The Detroit News.
5. Two physicians could hold governorships next year
Gov. Josh Green, MD, D-Hawaii, is seeking reelection. In Ohio, former state health director Amy Acton, MD, the Democratic nominee, faces Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in a race the Cook Political Report rates a toss-up.
6. Four physician House races are competitive
Three physician House races are rated competitive, and a fourth is a toss-up.
- Iowa’s 1st District: Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD, an ophthalmologist, is in a race rated Lean Democrat.
- Arizona’s 1st District: Emergency physician Amish Shah, MD, a Democrat, is running for the open seat of retiring Republican Rep. David Schweikert in a race rated Lean Democrat.
- Kentucky’s 6th District: Ralph Alvarado, MD, a Republican internist and former Tennessee health commissioner, is running for the open Lexington-area seat in a race rated Lean Republican.
- California’s 6th District: Pediatrician and former state Sen. Richard Pan, MD, a Democrat, is challenging Rep. Kevin Kiley, an independent who caucuses with Republicans, in a newly redrawn toss-up district.
7. Platforms span the spectrum, but some priorities cross party lines
Dr. El-Sayed, Rep. Maxine Dexter, MD, D-Ore., and New Jersey House candidate Adam Hamawy, MD, back single-payer or Medicare for All. Rep. Scott DesJarlais, MD, R-Tenn., and Georgia House candidate John Cowan, MD, a neurosurgeon, are campaigning on replacing or fixing the ACA.
Candidates in both parties want faster prior authorization, rural hospitals appear in platforms from Rep. Mike Kennedy, MD, R-Utah, to Dr. Andrews, and nearly every clinician candidate lists lowering drug costs.
Democratic candidates are also campaigning against HR 1, the 2025 reconciliation law that included roughly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts over a decade. Dr. Andrews has centered her race on Medicaid as the largest insurer of children in South Carolina.
“If this money is taken out of the system, it will really be devastating to a healthcare system that is already quite broken,” Dr. Andrews said.
8. The results will reshape the health committees in 2027
Dr. Cassidy’s exit opens the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions’ gavel. Until then, the chair controls whether nominations for FDA commissioner, CDC director and surgeon general reach a committee vote, and House Republicans have signaled interest in another reconciliation package that could include site-neutral payment reform, more Medicaid cuts and Medicare Advantage changes.
Physicians in Congress tend to land leadership roles on health committees, Bloomberg reported, and Dr. Cowan is already seeking a seat on House Energy and Commerce. The GOP Doctors Caucus counts 14 House members, and 314 Action, which backs scientists and clinicians seeking office, has called 2026 “the year of the doctor.”
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