Doctors win major races as Democrats flip a Senate seat and take Ohio governorship
Pediatrician Annie Andrews and epidemiologist Abdul El-Sayed won Senate races, while physician Amy Acton won Ohio’s governorship. The next Senate will have equal numbers of Republican and Democratic physicians.
By StoryBreak
Published November 5, 2026 at 11:01 AM EST
Physicians made notable gains in the latest elections, with Annie Andrews winning South Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed winning Michigan’s Senate race and Amy Acton winning Ohio’s governorship, WWNO reported.
Andrews, a pediatrician, defeated Republican Darline Graham in South Carolina. Her victory ended Republican control of the Senate seat, the Associated Press reported.
Andrews will take office in January 2027. She has identified stopping Medicaid budget cuts as her top Senate priority, according to an interview carried by WNMU-FM.
El-Sayed is an epidemiologist who won Michigan’s open Senate seat. The two Senate victories mean the next Senate will have equal numbers of Republican and Democratic physicians, according to WWNO.
Both Andrews and El-Sayed participated in 314 Action’s Guardians of Public Health initiative. The organization said it invested more than $30 million while supporting 48 physician candidates.
The election results give physician lawmakers a larger presence in Congress while placing health policy, including Medicaid funding, among the issues Andrews has highlighted for her Senate term.
Sources & Further Reading
- WWNO
- WNMU-FM
- Associated Press
- 314 ActionPrimary source
StoryBreak
Independent digital news and reporting, updated throughout the day.
This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed as part of StoryBreak's editorial process before publication. Read our editorial standards.
