ACG’s 2026 Midterms Preview
Nov. 6 Update: The midterm results are in and we encourage you to read more about the new physician legislators heading to Washington in January.
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, instead of just lobbying Congress, a growing number of physicians are seeking to join the House and Senate.
The current Congress tied 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 in this blog, we focused on members of Congress with an MD or DO.
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, nearly all are expected to be reelected.
| Name | Party + StateState | Rating (Inside Elections)Rating | In Congress SinceSince | Specialty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rich McCormick, MD | R-GA | Solid R | 2023 | Emergency Medicine |
| Mariannette Miller-Meeks, MD | R-IA | Tilt D | 2021 | Ophthalmology |
| Roger Marshall, MD | R-KS (Senate) | Tossup | 2017 | OB/GYN |
| Andy Harris, MD | R-MD | Solid R | 2011 | Anesthesiology |
| Bob Onder, MD | R-MO | Solid R | 2025 | Allergy and Asthma |
| Greg Murphy, MD | R-NC | Likely R | 2019 | Urology and Renal Transplantation |
| John Joyce, MD | R-PA | Solid R | 2019 | Dermatology |
| Scott DesJarlais, MD | R-TN | Solid R | 2011 | Family Medicine |
| Ronny Jackson, MD | R-TX | Solid R | 2021 | Emergency Medicine |
| Mike Kennedy, MD | R-UT | Solid R | 2025 | Family Medicine |
| Ami Bera, MD | D-CA | Solid D | 2013 | Internal Medicine |
| Raul Ruiz, MD | D-CA | Solid D | 2013 | Emergency Medicine |
| Kelly Morrison, MD | D-MN | Solid D | 2025 | OB/GYN |
| Herb Conaway, MD | D-NJ | Solid D | 2025 | Internal Medicine |
| Maxine Dexter, MD | D-OR | Solid D | 2025 | Pulmonary and Critical Care |
| Kim Schrier, MD | D-WA | Solid D | 2019 | Pediatrician |
All race ratings from Inside Elections as of Oct. 30. ACG does not predict races or endorse candidates.
According to Inside Elections, the two most competitive races are Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), an OB/GYN running for his second term in the Senate, and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), an ophthalmologist who was first elected in 2021.
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, MD | D-AZ | Tilt D | Emergency Medicine |
| Richard Pan, MD | D-CA | Solid D | Pediatrics |
| Abdul El-Sayed, MD | D-MI (Senate) | Tilt D | N/A |
| Adam Hamawy, MD | D-NJ | Solid D | Plastic Surgery |
| Annie Andrews, MD | D-SC (Senate) | Tilt R | Pediatrics |
| John Cowan, MD | R-GA | Solid R | Neurosurgery |
| Ralph Alvarado, MD | R-KY | Tossup | Internal Medicine |
All race ratings from Inside Elections as of Oct. 20. ACG does not predict races or endorse candidates.
Democrats are expected to add at least two new physicians, with Republicans adding at least one. Looking beyond the ‘solid’ seats, there are also some competitive races in this group.
Amish Shah, an emergency medicine physician, and Ralph Alvarado, an internist and former health commissioner, are running for open seats in Arizona and Kentucky, respectively. And in the Senate, Abdul El-Sayed, who holds an MD from Columbia but did not complete residency, is running for Michigan’s open seat. These three 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 Inside Elections 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), an orthopedic surgeon, and Rand Paul (R-KY), an ophthalmologist. Additionally, any record would be set despite two physicians leaving Congress in January: Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL), a urologist, 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 freshman class of physicians in more than a decade.
- 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 which candidates win or lose in November, the volume of physicians considering elected office reflects a growing conviction 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 – at any level of the ballot: federal, state, or even local.
Recently, ACG's National Affairs Action Network proudly hosted a special Virtual Grand Rounds: 'So You Want to Run for Office? Here's How!' In our training, we covered what to consider when running for office, positions to consider, how to get started, and tips for launching a successful campaign – stay tuned for the recording and slides.
So if you feel your elected officials are ignoring you, maybe it's time to join the trend of physicians making the leap to public service!