A growing wave of Democratic medical professionals is mounting congressional campaigns ahead of the 2026 midterms, centering their platforms on healthcare affordability and public health. According to 314 Action Executive Director Erik Polyak, who spoke with ABC News, “We think 2026 is going to be the year of the doctor.”
The Landscape of Medical Professionals in Congress
Congress, split between six Democrats and 14 Republicans, according to ABC News. On the Republican side, the GOP Doctors’ Caucus in the House maintains 14 members, while the Senate includes four physician members: Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, and Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, an OB/GYN up for reelection this year, as reported by ABC News.
Republican incumbents running this cycle are actively leaning into their medical backgrounds. Senator Marshall faced recent scrutiny over his billing practices during his medical career, but defended his record at a debate covered by ABC News, stating, “Why does the New York Times never publish the fact that I took everybody that walked through the door, every patient, every Medicaid patient, that other hospitals were sending me their indigent?”
Democratic Challengers Focus on Costs and Coverage
Democratic-aligned groups like 314 Action are backing candidates such as Mitchell Berman, an emergency room nurse in Wisconsin running to unseat GOP incumbent Representative Bryan Steil in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District, according to ABC News. Berman’s campaign targets high out-of-pocket medical costs and the financial trauma patients face after receiving care.
“I can help mend their broken arm or give them medication to take away their pain, but what I struggle with is knowing full well that I can’t help them with the trauma that sets in two weeks later when they get their bill in the mail,” Berman told ABC News.
Democratic candidates are also campaigning in the wake of recent public health incidents, including measles outbreaks, and are sharply criticizing Republican support for the 2025 budget reconciliation bill, known as President Donald Trump’s tax legislation, according to ABC News. That federal legislation includes roughly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid over a 10-year period, driven in part by new work and eligibility requirements aimed at reducing waste and fraud.
Contrasting Positions on Medicaid Funding
Democratic candidates point to personal and patient experiences with Medicaid to argue against the federal funding reductions. Berman shared with ABC News that Medicaid afforded his mother an extra eight years of life, allowing her to attend his wedding and hold his first child.
In response to criticisms regarding the federal budget bill, Representative Steil defended his record in a statement to ABC News. “With my support beginning July 2025, Wisconsin began receiving an additional $1 billion annually in record federal Medicaid funding,” Steil wrote, adding that the legislation strengthened programs intended for pregnant women, children, and disabled Americans.