Doctors and health-care candidates won in the midterms, and experts see a rebuke of Trump

Public health leaders and politicians who made health care a central part of their campaigns won races across the country in last week's midterm elections, The Guardian reported Monday ¹. Advocates say the results could change national, state and local policy ¹.

Julie Scofield sits on the coordinating committee of Defend Public Health, a grassroots group. She called the results a repudiation of President Trump's policies ¹.

The American people are speaking out against President Trump and the policies that he’s been rolling out since the day he took office,

Who won

Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, will be the first pediatrician in the U.S. Senate ¹. She campaigned on impeaching Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and on raising vaccination rates after measles spread through South Carolina ¹. The Associated Press called her race on November 3. She is the first Democrat elected to the Senate from South Carolina since 1998 ².

Abdul El-Sayed, a public health leader during the Covid response, is the senator-elect from Michigan ¹. Amy Acton, also a Covid-era public health leader, is Ohio's governor-elect ¹. Their opponents tried to use their Covid work against them, and the attempt failed, The Guardian reported ¹.

From Channel GOPEl-Sayed: Medicaid cuts timed for after midtermsAbdul El-Sayed · 190 plays · captioned, with the source named

Jon Ossoff won re-election to the Senate in Georgia. He ended his victory speech with a promise of health care for every American ¹. Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state ¹.

healthcare for every single American

Doctors won House seats, too. Richard Pan, a California pediatrician, won after leading a state law that ended religious and personal exemptions to vaccination ¹. Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor, flipped a House seat in Arizona ¹. Adam Hamawy, a New Jersey surgeon, won a House seat by focusing partly on affordable care ¹.

What changes next

Scofield said Congress is likely to act on restoring cuts to Medicaid, the health program for low-income people, and to SNAP, the food aid program formerly called food stamps ¹. She also expects action on the premium tax credits, which lower Affordable Care Act insurance costs, and on how agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spend their money ¹.

State changes could come faster. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton had investigated pediatricians for giving vaccines and sued providers who mailed abortion pills ¹. His successor has announced he will drop several of those lawsuits ¹.

Voters in several states also rejected proposed abortion restrictions. Virginia passed a constitutional amendment protecting marriage equality and reproductive rights ¹.

Why it matters

That matters because health policy has been moving in one direction and the election may reverse it. Scofield said many administration actions to gut research and dismantle agencies were illegal because they bypassed Congress ¹. Whether Democrats can undo them depends on the votes and on President Trump's signature, and neither is settled.

Not every result was clear-cut. Anti-transgender ballot measures in Washington and Colorado appear to have passed, though Democratic leaders there are questioning whether they are constitutional ¹. Scofield also said she was disappointed that Andrews and James Talarico of Texas changed their public support for gender-affirming care ¹.

Scofield also noted that much public health authority rests with the states ¹. Mallory Harris, an Austin scientist who is pregnant, said real damage has been done and real risk remains ¹.

The Record

1. Nov 3, 2026Annie Andrews won South Carolina's Senate race, the first Democratic Senate win there since 1998 ².
2. Nov 3, 2026Abdul El-Sayed, Amy Acton and other public health leaders won statewide and congressional races ¹.
3. Nov 9, 2026Public health advocates call the results a repudiation of Trump administration health policy ¹.

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<h2>Doctors and health-care candidates won in the midterms, and experts see a rebuke of Trump</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Kitchen-Table Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/doctors-and-health-care-candidates-won-in-the-midterms-and-experts-see-a-rebuke">The GOP Files</a> on Monday, November 9, 2026.</em></p> <p>Public health leaders and politicians who made health care a central part of their campaigns won races across the country in last week&#39;s midterm elections, The Guardian reported Monday . Advocates say the results could change national, state and local policy .</p> <p>Julie Scofield sits on the coordinating committee of Defend Public Health, a grassroots group. She called the results a repudiation of President Trump&#39;s policies .</p> <blockquote><p>The American people are speaking out against President Trump and the policies that he’s been rolling out since the day he took office,</p><p>&mdash; Julie Scofield, coordinating committee member, Defend Public Health</p></blockquote> <h2>Who won</h2> <p>Annie Andrews, a pediatrician from Charleston, will be the first pediatrician in the U.S. Senate . She campaigned on impeaching Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and on raising vaccination rates after measles spread through South Carolina . The Associated Press called her race on November 3. She is the first Democrat elected to the Senate from South Carolina since 1998 .</p> <p>Abdul El-Sayed, a public health leader during the Covid response, is the senator-elect from Michigan . Amy Acton, also a Covid-era public health leader, is Ohio&#39;s governor-elect . Their opponents tried to use their Covid work against them, and the attempt failed, The Guardian reported .</p> <p>Jon Ossoff won re-election to the Senate in Georgia. He ended his victory speech with a promise of health care for every American . Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of any U.S. state .</p> <blockquote><p>healthcare for every single American</p><p>&mdash; Jon Ossoff, U.S. Senator, Democrat-Georgia</p></blockquote> <p>Doctors won House seats, too. Richard Pan, a California pediatrician, won after leading a state law that ended religious and personal exemptions to vaccination . Amish Shah, an emergency room doctor, flipped a House seat in Arizona . Adam Hamawy, a New Jersey surgeon, won a House seat by focusing partly on affordable care .</p> <h2>What changes next</h2> <p>Scofield said Congress is likely to act on restoring cuts to Medicaid, the health program for low-income people, and to SNAP, the food aid program formerly called food stamps . She also expects action on the premium tax credits, which lower Affordable Care Act insurance costs, and on how agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spend their money .</p> <p>State changes could come faster. In Texas, Attorney General Ken Paxton had investigated pediatricians for giving vaccines and sued providers who mailed abortion pills . His successor has announced he will drop several of those lawsuits .</p> <p>Voters in several states also rejected proposed abortion restrictions. Virginia passed a constitutional amendment protecting marriage equality and reproductive rights .</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>That matters because health policy has been moving in one direction and the election may reverse it. Scofield said many administration actions to gut research and dismantle agencies were illegal because they bypassed Congress . Whether Democrats can undo them depends on the votes and on President Trump&#39;s signature, and neither is settled.</p> <p>Not every result was clear-cut. Anti-transgender ballot measures in Washington and Colorado appear to have passed, though Democratic leaders there are questioning whether they are constitutional . Scofield also said she was disappointed that Andrews and James Talarico of Texas changed their public support for gender-affirming care .</p> <p>Scofield also noted that much public health authority rests with the states . Mallory Harris, an Austin scientist who is pregnant, said real damage has been done and real risk remains .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/doctors-and-health-care-candidates-won-in-the-midterms-and-experts-see-a-rebuke">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/doctors-and-health-care-candidates-won-in-the-midterms-and-experts-see-a-rebuke.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Guardian, “‘A complete repudiation’: public health won big in US midterm elections” (2026-11-09). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/09/public-health-midterm-el
2. NPR (via WYPR), “Democrat Annie Andrews wins South Carolina Senate race in major upset” (2026-11-03). wypr.org/2026-11-03/democrat-annie-andrews-wins-south-caroli

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