A wave of Democratic doctors and scientists is running for political office in the midterm elections as a rebuke to the Trump administration's health policies and cuts to public health agencies.

A wave of Democratic doctors and scientists, including Abdul El-Sayed (running for US Senate in Michigan), Jasmine Clark (microbiologist who won her Georgia primary), and Richard Pan (pediatrician in California's June 2 primary), are running for office in the 2026 midterm elections as a direct rebuke to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s tenure at HHS, which has cut 20,000 employees, reduced public health funding by over $12 billion, and canceled more than 2,000 NIH research grants.