Candidates from STEM and Medical Fields in the National Elections
See who’s on the ballot for House and Senate seats this year.
Katarina Zimmer
After a year teaching an algorithm to differentiate between the echolocation calls of different bat species, Katarina decided she was simply too greedy to focus on one field. Following an internship with The Scientist in 2017, she has been happily freelancing for a number of publications, covering everything from climate change to oncology.
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Oct 9, 2020
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This year, more than 30 candidates with science, technology, engineering, math, and medical backgrounds are on the ballot for national elections.
See “Amid Pandemic, Scientists Lean on Credentials in Political Races”
If we’ve missed a scientist running for office, please let us know.
Winning candidates are highlighted in green. We will continue to update this list. (Last updated November 4)
Candidates running for House seats:
Name | STEM background | Race | Opponent |
Hiral Tipirneni (D) | Emergency room physician | David Schweikert (R) | |
Ami Bera (D) | Physician | Buzz Patterson (R) | |
Chris Bubser (D) | Biotechnologist, engineer | Jay Obernolte (R) | |
Jerry McNerney (D) | Mathematician and engineer | Antonio Armador (R) | |
TJ Cox (D) | Chemical engineer | David Valadao (R) | |
Tony Cárdenas (D) | Electrical engineering degree | Angelica Dueñas (D) | |
Raul Ruiz (D) | Physician | Erin Cruz (R) | |
Neal Dunn (R) | Surgeon | Kim O’Connor (Independent) | |
Earl “Buddy” Carter (R) | Pharmacist | Joyce Marie Griggs (D) | |
Sean Casten (D) | Biochemical engineer | Jeanne Ives (R), Bill Redpath (L) | |
Bill Foster (D) | Physicist | Rick Laib (R) | |
Lauren Underwood (D) | Nurse | Jim Oberweis (R) | |
Larry Bucshon (R) | Physician | Thomasina Marsili (D), James Rodenberger (L) | |
Andrew Harris (R) | Physician | Mia Mason (D) | |
John Paul Moran (R) | Engineer | Seth Moulton (D) WINNER, | |
Nancy Goroff (D) | Chemist | Lee Zeldin (R) | |
Paul Tonko (D) | Mechanical and industrial engineer | Elizabeth Joy (R) | |
Gregory Murphy (R) | Urologist | Allen Thomas (D), Greg Holt (Constitution Party), Tim Harris (L) | |
Chrissy Houlahan (D) | Industrial engineer | John Emmons (R), John McHugh (Independent) | |
John Joyce (R) | Physician | Todd Rowley (D) | |
Joe Cunningham (D) | Ocean engineer | Nancy Mace (R) | |
Adair Ford Boroughs (D) | Math teacher | Joe Wilson (R) WINNER, | |
Scott DesJarlais (R) | Physician | Christopher Hale (D) | |
Mark Green (R) | Physician | Kiran Sreepada (D), Ronald Brown (Independent), Scott Vieira (Independent) | |
Michael C. Burgess (R) | Physician | Carol Iannuzzi (D), Mark Boler (L) | |
Donna Imam (D) | Computer engineer and tech entrepreneur | John Carter (R) WINNER, | |
Elaine Luria (D) | Nuclear engineer | Scott Taylor (R), David Foster (Independent) | |
Cameron Webb (D) | Physician | Bob Good (R) | |
Suzan Delbene (D) | Biology degree, tech executive | Jeffrey Beeler (R) | |
Kim Schreier (D) | Physician | Jesse Jensen (R) |
Candidates running for Senate seats:
Name | STEM background | Race | Opponent |
Alan Gross (Nonpartisan) | Orthopedic surgeon | Daniel Sullivan (R), John Howe (Alaskan Independence Party), Sid Hill (Nonpartisan), Jed Whittaker (Green Party) | |
Mark Kelly (D) | Astronaut, engineer, aviator | Martha McSally (R), 17 others | |
John Hickenlooper (D) | Geologist | Cory Gardner (R), Raymon Doane (L), Sephan Evans (Unity Party), Bruce Lohmiller (Green Party), Michael Sanchez (Independent), Danny Skelly (Independent) | |
Chris Coons (D) | Chemistry degree | Lauren Witzke (R), Mark Turley (Independent), Nadine Frost (L) | |
Barbara Bollier (D) | Anesthesiologist | Roger Marshall (R) WINNER, | |
Roger Marshall (R) | Physician | Barbara Bollier (D), Jason Buckley (L) | |
Steve Daines (R) | Chemical engineer | Steve Bullock (D) | |
Merav Ben-David (D) | Wildlife ecologist | Cynthia Lummis (R) WINNER |
