A cure for Trump? Why Democratic doctors are running in the 2026 midterms

'How many times in history?'

Currently, the majority of the doctors serving in Congress are Republicans, including all four physicians previously elected to the Senate.

But those party dynamics may shift. One high-profile Republican doctor, Senator Bill Cassidy, is stepping down. Others, such as Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, are facing uncertain odds for re-election.

Meanwhile, at least five Democratic newcomers with medical degrees are aiming to join the 120th Congress after November's midterm election.

At least 10 Democratic nurses are making a bid for Congress this year too, compared to four Republicans, according to the publication Nurse.org.

Not every healthcare professional on November's ballot shares the same view on healthcare policy, though.

In South Carolina, Andrews told NewsNation that "Medicare for All" — a proposal for universal public healthcare — is an "outdated, non-pragmatic policy".

El-Sayed, by contrast, is a strong proponent of the policy, having co-written a book called Medicare for All: A Citizen's Guide.

The US has one of the costliest healthcare systems of any high-income country in the world, and affordability has been a common feature in many of the Democratic doctors' campaigns.

Andrews, for instance, has dubbed her political agenda the "Patients and Prices Platform", and she travelled around her state on a similarly named tour.

US Representative Ami Bera, a California Democrat who is also a doctor, told Al Jazeera that the country is at a key juncture to decide the future of its healthcare system.

Bera is running for re-election in the midterms, in part based on the belief that doctors and patients should be at the centre of that discussion, as opposed to mere costs.

"Let’s not talk about reimbursement. Let’s talk about why we went to medical school — we want to care for our patient,” Bera said.

“Doctors who have practised, have been in the exam room, in the OR [operating room] have a unique perspective on patient care. They bring that unique perspective to Congress.”

Bera helped form the Democratic Doctors PAC this year to help boost healthcare as an election-season cause.

Other health-inspired groups have likewise poured money and resources into the race. The pro-science advocacy group 314 Action reported in October that it had spent nearly $30m on this year's midterms.

But Bera expressed optimism that healthcare would ultimately not be seen as a single-party issue or a source of partisan divide.

“Up until this moment in time, that is what the conversation's been, right? Democrats defending the Affordable Care Act, Republicans attacking the ACA,” Bera said. “I think it's such a crisis moment that it's opened up the opportunity to think about the ‘what next'?”

Feigl-Ding, the founder of Vax PAC, also believes this midterm election cycle is a moment of opportunity.

He pointed to the recent Democratic primary victory for Amy Acton, the former director of the Ohio Department of Health, now running to be the state's governor.

Acton is leading her Republican opponent going into Tuesday's vote by 7 percentage points, according to a recent Marist University poll. Feigl-Ding described that result as historic.

“If you think about it, how many times in history does a health director run for governor and win the primary, and is now slated to potentially win the governor’s race?” Feigl-Ding asked.