ACG’s 2026 Midterms Preview
Physicians have long watched Washington make decisions affecting patients and the healthcare industry—or fail to advance reforms at all—with little input from those on the frontlines. In response, a growing number have decided to stop lobbying Congress and start sitting in it.
The current Congress set the record for the most physicians to serve in the House and Senate, at 20. Despite a few retirements and failed reelection bids, when the 120th Congress convenes in January, it is poised to match or break that record.
One note: there is a rich history of non-physician healthcare providers (e.g., dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and many others) serving in the House and Senate. To make accurate comparisons, we focused on physicians for this blog.
The Physicians in Congress Running for Reelection
Currently, there are sixteen physicians in the House, with an additional four in the Senate. Of those on the ballot next month, only one faces a truly competitive reelection bid, according to Inside Elections: Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), an ophthalmologist who was first elected in 2021.
| Name | Party + StateState | Rating (Inside Elections)Rating | In Congress SinceSince | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich McCormick | R-GA | Solid R | 2023 | Emergency Medicine |
| Mariannette Miller-Meeks | R-IA | Tilt D | 2021 | Ophthalmology |
| Roger Marshall | R-KS (Senate) | Likely R | 2017 | OB/GYN |
| Andy Harris | R-MD | Solid R | 2011 | Anesthesiology |
| Bob Onder | R-MO | Solid R | 2025 | Allergy and Asthma |
| Greg Murphy | R-NC | Solid R | 2019 | Urology and Renal Transplantation |
| John Joyce | R-PA | Solid R | 2019 | Dermatology |
| Scott DesJarlais | R-TN | Solid R | 2011 | Family Medicine |
| Ronny Jackson | R-TX | Solid R | 2021 | Emergency Medicine |
| Mike Kennedy | R-UT | Solid R | 2025 | Family Medicine |
| Ami Bera | D-CA | Solid D | 2013 | Internal Medicine |
| Raul Ruiz | D-CA | Solid D | 2013 | Emergency Medicine |
| Kelly Morrison | D-MN | Solid D | 2025 | OB/GYN |
| Herb Conaway | D-NJ | Solid D | 2025 | Internal Medicine |
| Maxine Dexter | D-OR | Solid D | 2025 | Pulmonary and Critical Care |
| Kim Schrier | D-WA | Solid D | 2019 | Pediatrician |
All race ratings from InsideElections as of Oct. 20
New Physicians on the Ballot
Beyond the incumbents, as many as seven new physicians could be sworn in come January.
| Name | Party + StateState | Rating (Inside Elections)Rating | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amish Shah | D-AZ | Tilt D | Emergency Medicine |
| Richard Pan | D-CA | Solid D | Pediatrics |
| Abdul El-Sayed | D-MI (Senate) | Tilt D | N/A |
| Adam Hamawy | D-NJ | Solid D | Plastic Surgery |
| Annie Andrews | D-SC (Senate) | Lean R | Pediatrics |
| John Cowan | R-GA | Solid R | Neurosurgery |
| Ralph Alvarado | R-KY | Tilt R | Internal Medicine |
All race ratings from InsideElections as of Oct. 20
Each party is expected to add two new physicians, but there are also some competitive races in this group.
Amish Shah, a board-certified emergency medicine physician, is running for an open House seat from Arizona. Abdul El-Sayed, who holds an MD from Columbia but did not complete residency, is running for Michigan’s open Senate seat. Both candidates are slightly favored to win, though the races are tightly contested.
Notably, if El-Sayed or Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from South Carolina, win their race, they would become the first Democratic doctor in the Senate since Ernest Gruening of Alaska, who held an MD from Harvard but likewise never practiced medicine, left office in 1969.
What the 120th Congress Could Look Like
Physicians in Congress, 2007 – 2027
How to read the lines
For the 120th Congress, “Solid-rated” means races rated by InsideElections as Solid R or Solid D, where the outcome is considered all but certain.
If every physician on the ballot wins their race, the 120th Congress will have 25 physicians. Even though that may not happen, it would only take two physicians winning their competitive race to have a record number of physicians serving in Congress.
In addition to the physicians reelected and elected in November, the 120th Congress will have two physicians not up for reelection this year — Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Rand Paul (R-KY). Additionally, any record would be set despite two physicians leaving Congress in January: Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) is retiring and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a hepatologist and fellow of ACG, lost his primary election.
A few other things we noticed about the (potential) 120th Congress:
- A new generation of physician-lawmakers. If all new physicians on the ballot that are currently favored to win prevail (i.e., everyone except Annie Andrews in SC), then the 120th Congress will have the largest ever freshman class of physicians.
- The partisan balance of physicians in Congress continues to change. The new Congress will almost certainly welcome a record number of Democratic physicians, with at least 8 and potentially as many as 11. This advances a recent trend of more physician Democrats joining Congress, which resulted in them joining their GOP peers and launching the Congressional Doctors Caucus in May 2025. For years, the overwhelming majority of physicians in Congress were Republicans (between 2011 and 2020, it was 86%).
- Physicians from diverse medical specialties continue to seek public office. Following another recent trend, physicians in the 120th Congress will come from a wide variety of specialties, spanning emergency medicine, plastic surgery, anesthesiology, and more. And if John Cowan from Georgia wins, as expected, he will become the first neurosurgeon elected to Congress.
Got the Public Service Itch? ACG's VGR Will Help You Take the Next Step
Regardless of whether these candidates go on to win or lose in November, the volume of physicians considering elected office reflects the growing conviction among physicians and healthcare providers that influencing health policy as an outsider is no longer sufficient. If you've ever wondered what it would take to make that same leap, ACG is here to help you explore it.