# ‘Revenge of the nerds’: US midterms deliver a win for science – and a rebuke of Maha

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/revenge-of-the-nerds-us-midterms-deliver-a-win-for-science-and-a-rebuke-of-maha/
- Published: 2026-11-05T13:00:24+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-05T13:35:36+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/05/midterms-science-doctors-maha
- Topics: Americas, Elections, Politics, Research, Science, World

## Key points

- Democrats’ doctor and scientist candidates made midterm gains.
- Healthcare affordability was a central campaign issue.
- Democratic campaigns ran over 158,000 healthcare adverts.

## Summary

Democrats made gains in the US midterms, with doctors and scientists winning races across the ballot as voters focused on healthcare costs and affordability. A group that backed Democratic health professionals called the result a “Stem swing”, interpreting it as a rebuke of Trumpism and the Make America Healthy Again movement.

Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed and South Carolina’s Annie Andrews were among the history-making winners; no Democratic doctor had held a Senate seat since 1969. All incumbent Democratic doctors won, while Republican doctors including Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Roger Marshall lost, and several other races remained too close to call. Democrats ran more than 158,000 healthcare-related adverts, compared with 61,000 for Republicans, amid cuts and disruption affecting US health and science institutions.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.