Beyond the Blue Wave: Last Night Was a Medical Wave

The headline this morning is the blue wave. Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress and flipped five governor’s seats, with upsets in states like Texas, Kansas and South Carolina. But look closely at who won, and a second story comes into focus.

Voters sent an unusual number of doctors, nurses and public health leaders into office. A pediatrician will represent South Carolina in the Senate. A former state health director will govern Ohio. An ER nurse unseated a four-term congressman in Wisconsin.

Call it a medical wave. Voters were asked who they trust on health, and in race after race they answered: the people who have actually cared for patients.

The medical wave

• Dr. Amy Acton, Governor of Ohio. The physician who led Ohio’s early Covid-19 response beat Vivek Ramaswamy by about seven points. Her platform centered on protecting Medicaid, forgiving medical debt, ending surprise bills and lowering drug costs.
• Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, U.S. Senate, Michigan. A physician-scientist and former Detroit health commissioner, El-Sayed defeated former Rep. Mike Rogers. He arrives with a national platform on Medicare for All and a stated goal of holding the health secretary accountable.
• Dr. Annie Andrews, U.S. Senate, South Carolina. Andrews, a pediatrician, defeated Sen. Darline Graham in a state President Trump carried by nearly 18 points. She campaigned in scrubs, talked about measles, and promised to protect vaccine access and rural hospitals.
• Mitchell Berman, U.S. House, Wisconsin’s 1st District. An emergency room nurse with the Veterans Health Administration, Berman unseated Rep. Bryan Steil. His message was simple: make care affordable and fix a broken system.
• Dr. Adam Hamawy, U.S. House, New Jersey’s 12th District. A former Army combat surgeon and 9/11 first responder, Hamawy has volunteered as a trauma surgeon in conflict zones and won an open seat. His health message was built on Medicare for All, framed against military spending. His recurring campaign line was “healthcare, not bombs.”
• Dr. Richard Pan, U.S. House, California’s 6th District. A pediatrician and former state senator, Pan made his name writing California’s strict school vaccination laws after measles and pertussis outbreaks. Few candidates ran more directly against the Kennedy vaccine agenda.

The wave wasn’t only blue. Republican physicians won too, including neurosurgeon John Cowan, newly elected in Georgia, and emergency physicians Rich McCormick and Ronny Jackson, who held their House seats. Voters across the spectrum showed they want clinicians at the table.

A referendum on RFK Jr.

The first concern that often percolates pertains to accuracy: Is a study conducted among synthetic respondents as accurate as one conducted

This was, in large part, a verdict on the health secretary and the agenda he leads. Heading into the election, an Axios-Ipsos poll found only one in four Americans trusted health information from Kennedy. Measles outbreaks, a rewritten childhood vaccine schedule and Medicaid cuts gave clinician candidates a ready argument.

The exit data backs it up. In KFF’s analysis of the 2026 Voter Poll, midterm voters trusted Democrats over Republicans on health care by 19 points. Fifty-four percent said the administration’s policies had made their own health costs worse. Those voters backed Democratic House candidates by roughly five to one, and the pattern held among independents.

Voters did not simply reward a medical degree. They rewarded clinicians who spoke for science, affordability and access, and rejected those who stood with the current HHS agenda.

What it means for health communicators

The clinician’s voice is now the most valuable credential in health politics. Americans already said they have more confidence in their own doctors and career scientists than in political appointees. Last night, they voted that way.

For the health systems, life sciences companies, foundations and advocates we work with, three things follow:

• Put clinicians forward. The winning candidates spoke from the exam room, not the podium. Organizations should elevate physicians, nurses and scientists as spokespeople.
• Lead with cost and access. Affordability, not ideology, carried these campaigns. Health messages land when they connect to what families pay and whether they can see a doctor.
• Prepare for oversight. A new Congress with physician members and subpoena power will scrutinize vaccine policy, Medicaid and drug pricing. The organizations ready to testify clearly and credibly will help shape what comes next.

The blue wave will dominate today’s coverage. The medical wave may prove more lasting. Voters said they want to hear from the people who care for them, and the next two years will reward anyone in health care prepared to answer.