Nurses Running for Congress: Where Their 2026 Races Stand

Part of Nurses on the Ballot, Nurse.org’s research series on the nurses and nursing issues of the 2026 midterm elections. This update follows the 18 nurses on congressional ballots: how their races have shifted, what they’ve raised, and what’s happened on the trail since our roster ran on September 22.

Election Day is November 3. If every race broke the way the Cook Political Report rates it today, the four members of Congress with nursing backgrounds would shrink to two. Reps. Sheri Biggs (R-S.C.) and Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) are expected to hold safe seats, while Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) are both in races Cook now rates Lean D.

Nurse candidates include 16 running for the U.S. House and two running for the Senate in Oklahoma. For the full roster, with each candidate’s background and platform, see our September 22 piece. Other articles in the series track the state legislature nurse candidates, candidates running on nursing issues, 20 close Senate and governor races, and nursing ballot measures.

This update covers the four races that have shifted since September, where the money stands as of September 30, and what the people who train nurses to run say about why fundraising is especially hard for nurse candidates.

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How the Cook Political Report Rates Nurse Candidates’ Races

Five of the 17 races carrying one of the 18 nurses have moved in the Cook Political Report’s ratings since September, all toward Democrats. The other 12 are unchanged. Ratings in this piece were checked the morning of publication and refreshed October 25; see Cook’s live Senate and House pages for the latest.

The ratings tell a different story for challengers. Of the 14 nurse challengers, 11 are in Solid races against the other party and are long shots at this point. The three exceptions are all in Lean or Likely races: Mitchell Berman (D-Wis.) and Kristina Knickerbocker (D-Ohio) are challenging Republican incumbents, and Jon Kamerath (IAP-Nev.) is running against Democratic Rep. Susie Lee. All three races have shifted toward Democrats since September. The shifts reflect a more favorable Cook assessment for Democrats, although Berman and Knickerbocker remain in Republican-leaning races.

One voting-process note for Louisiana, where Lisa Ballay (L) is running: this year, the state is holding an all-party open primary for U.S. House seats on Nov. 3. If no candidate wins a majority, the top two advance to a Dec. 12 runoff.

The Nurse Candidates in the Closest 2026 Races

• Virginia’s 2nd District: Kiggans (R, incumbent) vs. Luria (D). Cook moved this race from Toss Up to Lean D on Oct. 23. Kiggans is in the National Republican Congressional Committee’s (NRCC) Patriot Program, which supports vulnerable Republican incumbents.
• Iowa’s 1st District: Miller-Meeks (R, incumbent) vs. Bohannan (D). Cook shifted it to Lean D on Oct. 9. Miller-Meeks began her career as an Army nurse and later became a physician; she is included in our roster for her nursing service. She and Bohannan debated on Oct. 20 in Davenport, their third general-election matchup; healthcare, including Medicaid, was a central subject. Miller-Meeks is also in the NRCC’s Patriot Program.
• Wisconsin’s 1st District: Berman (D) vs. Steil (R, incumbent). Berman, an emergency room nurse, is one of the Democratic challengers the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added to its Red to Blue program on Sept. 15, which supports Democratic challengers running against Republican incumbents. He and Steil debated on Oct. 20 on Janesville’s WCLO. Cook moved the race from Likely R to Lean R on Sept. 25. Berman was endorsed by the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund on Sept. 29 and by 314 Action Fund on Sept. 30.
• Ohio’s 10th District: Knickerbocker (D) vs. Turner (R, incumbent). Cook moved this race from Likely R to Lean R on Oct. 16. Knickerbocker was endorsed by the New Democrat Coalition Action Fund and 314 Action Fund on Sept. 29.

One nursing-policy development since the roster ran: in September, Rep. Lauren Underwood introduced the bipartisan Educating Future Nurses Act with Rep. Jen Kiggans and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) as original cosponsors. The bill would establish an ongoing Medicare-funded graduate nurse education program supporting clinical training for advanced practice registered nurses through partnerships among hospitals, nursing schools, and community-based care settings. Underwood and Kiggans are vice-chairs of the Congressional Nursing Caucus.

How Nurse Candidates Are Fundraising vs. Their Opponents

Federal candidates filed their October quarterly reports on Oct. 15, covering fundraising through Sept. 30. Candidates in close races also file pre-general reports by Oct. 22, covering through Oct. 14; those were still coming in as we published. The table below uses the Sept. 30 figures for an equal comparison.

Fourteen of the 18 trail their top opponent, 10 of them at less than a fifth. Only Biggs and Underwood lead. Kamerath and Neville have no financial reports on file.

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Why Fundraising Is Harder for Nurse Candidates

The pattern in the table is not unique to this cycle. Fundraising is routinely the hardest part of a first-time run for Congress, and it is especially hard for nurses, say the people who prepare them to campaign.

Kimberly Gordon, DNP, CRNA, co-founder of Healing Politics, a nonpartisan nonprofit that runs a campaign school for nurses and midwives, said in a written response to our questions that the hurdle is partly cultural. “Nurses in our campaign school consistently say fundraising is the biggest hurdle to running for office,” she wrote. “Most cannot self-fund, and many are uncomfortable asking others for support because their professional identity is rooted in helping people, not asking for help.” Her group tries to reframe the ask, she said, encouraging nurses “to view fundraising not as asking for money for themselves, but as inviting people to invest in a vision for their community.”

James Haggar, a political consultant and faculty member at Healing Politics’ Campaign School, said nurses often start fundraising with a different donor base than other candidates. “Nurses’ colleagues, and the folks they build relationships with, often give, but are not in a position to make large contributions,” he wrote. And the job itself can get in the way: “Nurses often work irregular hours, or continue their education while working, which can make it harder to do traditional call time and events.”

Nancy Mannion, DNP, RN, a nurse running as a Democrat in Pennsylvania’s 11th District and a Healing Politics graduate, said what surprised her most on the trail was something else. “What I encountered that surprised me was the lack of interest within the nursing profession about a fellow nurse running for public office,” she wrote. On timing, she echoed the campaign-school message: “Raising funds needs to start early (12-18 months before election day in a Congressional race) so you have financial resources when you need them.”

Gordon offered a short guide for reading fundraising numbers. “Fundraising totals alone do not determine an election’s outcome,” she wrote; “a compelling vision, strong ideas, and effective messaging are critical to a candidate’s success.” Beyond the headline total, she suggested voters consider: how a candidate’s totals compare to their opponent’s and to the last winner’s; where most of the money is coming from; whether a candidate is largely self-funding, and whether that reflects choice or necessity; and whether contributions come from local supporters or out of state, from many small donors or a few large ones.

Election Day is November 3, and nurses may end it with fewer seats in Congress than they have now. A lot can change in a close race before then. Ratings and money can both shift again, especially as pre-general FEC reports and late outside spending come in. For nurses watching these races, the clearest signal will be the candidates themselves, in debates, forums, and local coverage over the final days.

Early voting is underway in most states. We will publish results coverage a day or two after Election Day.

More From Nurses on the Ballot

🤔 Which race are you watching most closely, and why? Tell us in the comments below.

About This Data

Scope. The 18 verified nurses appearing on congressional ballots November 3, 2026, including Louisiana’s all-party open primary. Our verified roster is in our Sept. 22 piece. This update covers rating changes, campaign finance figures, and news since Sept. 22.

Ratings. From the Cook Political Report’s House and Senate ratings pages, checked the morning of publication. Changes are reported with the date Cook moved the race.

Finance. Total receipts, cycle to date, through Sept. 30, 2026, from the Federal Election Commission. “Total receipts” is a candidate committee’s total money raised, and includes individual contributions, PAC contributions, candidate loans, and transfers from other committees. Pre-general reports covering Oct. 1 to Oct. 14 were still being filed as this piece went to publication and are not included. One candidate, Pusczek, has no quarterly report on file more recent than her June 30 total. “No report filed” means the candidate has no financial report on file at the FEC; it does not mean the campaign raised nothing.

News and endorsements. Through Oct. 21, 2026. We cite debates we could verify through local coverage.

Interviews. Kimberly Gordon, James Haggar, and Nancy Mannion responded to written questions by email. Mannion is a candidate in one of the races covered here and a graduate of the Healing Politics campaign school; we note both.

Limits. We searched the same sources for every candidate, but a development can still be missed. “None found” means we did not find one in our review, not that the candidate has no view or that nothing happened.

Update (October 25, 2026): Cook moved Virginia’s 2nd District from Toss Up to Lean D on October 23. We updated the ratings table, the lede, and the race’s entry in The Nurse Candidates in the Closest 2026 Races to reflect this; the count of nurse races that have shifted since September 21 is now five, up from four at publication.

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