It was a big night for doctors to win seats in Congress, riding the blue wave
The U.S. Senate will soon have a practicing physician who's a Democrat for the first time since 1938, with the election of Dr. Annie Andrews, a pediatrician, in South Carolina.
Her win — among many other physician candidates Tuesday night — marks a dramatic shift when it comes to doctors with political power across the country.
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it → win → country
Historically, doctors have been elected to Congress more often as Republicans, not Democrats.
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doctors → elect → Republicans
But that changed this cycle.
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that → change → cycle
In the recent past, the Republican party attracted doctor-candidates who were essentially small business people who had concerns about high taxes and government overreach.
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who → attract → taxes
The new crop of candidates from health professions often work for large hospital systems and are interested in issues that align with Democratic priorities like public health, equity and affordability.
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that → work → health
Andrews told NPR before she won that she was motivated to enter politics after watching parents worry about the cost of things like inhalers for asthma patients and insulin for kids with diabetes.
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parents → tell → diabetes
"I watch as worried parents leave the hospital in the evening so that they can go work their third shift job just so they can make ends meet," she said.
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she → watch → job
"And then, like the majority of pediatricians in America, I've cared for kids who've been shot."
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who → care → kids
Guns are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S.
"It really clicked to me that the path to catalyzing this change that I want to see in America for the children in America is through politics," she explained.
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she → lead → politics
Two of them, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R.-La., and Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan, lost their reelection bids this year.
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Two → lose → bids
(El-Sayed trained as a physician but did not do a residency or practice medicine, instead pursuing public health.
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Sayed → train → health
In the House, the six members of the Democratic doctor's caucus will be joined by at least two more: New Jersey's Dr. Adam Hamawy, a former U.S. Army surgeon, and pediatrician Dr. Richard Pan in California.
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members → join → California
In the GOP doctor's caucus, neurosurgeon Dr. John Cowan was elected in Georgia, but at least two incumbents lost their seats, with a few races still too close to call.
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incumbents → elect → races
Many of these new Democratic physician-lawmakers were recruited and backed by 314 Action, a name that refers to the mathematical constant pi.
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that → recruit → pi
The organization supports progressive candidates with science backgrounds to run for office, and it invested more than $30 million in dozens of Democratic candidates competing in state and federal races, including 48 physicians.
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it → support → physicians
The group's president, Shaughnessy Naughton, says that the organization does leadership development and recruits scientists to run across the country, then helps candidates in a variety of ways.
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organization → say → ways
"We work to help them put together their campaign strategy, communication strategy, media training, we help to get them local and national media exposure, work with them on their fundraising, and fundraise for them," she explains.
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she → work → them
Those candidates won big time on Tuesday.
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candidates → win → Tuesday
In addition to big national names like Senators-elect Andrews and El-Sayed, and Governor-elect Dr. Amy Acton of Ohio, many of the downballot candidates 314 Action supported won as well.
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Action → support → candidates
Among them are several incoming state legislators who will be the only elected physicians in their chambers: Dr. Nikhil Wagle in Iowa, Dr. Amelia Gallitano-Mendel in Arizona, and Dr. Jarod Fox in Florida.
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Wagle → elect → Florida
Naughton attributes that success to health care and affordability being front of mind.
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care → attribute → mind
Also, polls show the public trusts doctors, and the candidates effectively countered messaging from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has downplayed ongoing measles outbreaks.
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who → show → outbreaks
"People were sick of it," Naughton says.
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Naughton → say → it
"We should not have American children dying — or anyone dying — of measles in 2026.
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anyone → have → 2026
And yet, not only did we have that happening, we had a health secretary that only made the situation worse."
A key vote, a damaging investigation
Outgoing chair of the powerful Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R.-La., spoke often from the dais about how his experience as a physician shaped his perspective as a lawmaker and committee chair.
During Kennedy's confirmation hearing in Jan. 2025, Cassidy memorably spoke about the root of his passion for vaccination.
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Cassidy → have → vaccination
"In the early 2000's, I was loading a patient onto an air ambulance, an 18-year-old young woman, to go to get a liver transplant from acute liver failure due to hepatitis B," he said, noting the expensive surgery and ongoing hospital bills she would face, if she lived.
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she → load → surgery
"It was the worst day of my medical career, because I thought: $50 of vaccines could have prevented this all."
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50 → think → this
Still, Cassidy ultimately cast a key vote to confirm Kennedy into the job, despite Kennedy's long history of anti-vaccine activism.
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Cassidy → cast → activism
Kennedy flaunted vaccine-related promises Cassidy said he made to earn that vote, and even supported the Republican primary challenger who managed to unseat Cassidy earlier this year.
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who → flaunt → Cassidy
In a surprise Tuesday night, Dr. Roger Marshall, R.-Kan., also lost his reelection bid — another senior member of the HELP committee.
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Marshall → lose → committee
In September, the New York Times reported that Marshall had sued more than 700 patients for unpaid medical bills.
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Marshall → report → bills
One of the patients filed a class action lawsuit against him last week.
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One → file → him
Marshall described his actions as a way to "keep the lights on" in a last-minute social media video.
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Marshall → describe → video
He lost to challenger Adam Hamilton, a Methodist minister, by four points.
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He → lose → points
Dr. Chadd Kraus has studied physicians in Congress.
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Kraus → study → Congress
Two decades ago, after studying political science as an undergrad and pursuing a masters in public health, he worked on an analysis of the physicians in Congress.
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he → study → Congress
"In 1776, 10.7% of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were physicians," the paper notes.
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paper → note → Independence
Kraus explains that was an era where practicing medicine involved leeches; germs hadn't been discovered and antibiotics hadn't been invented
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antibiotics → explain → leeches
Kraus suggests those physicians happened to be "part of a class that owned land that was educated."
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that → suggest → land
In the next two hundred years, medicine transformed, and for a time, very few physicians served as federal lawmakers.
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physicians → transform → lawmakers
…and 22 more, not listed.
The Aporia
