Mixed Bag for Clinicians Vying for House Seats

The presidential election was not the only race on Tuesday — the seats for all 435 members of the House were also up for grabs. See below how some of the healthcare-affiliated non-incumbent candidates fared, according to results from the Associated Press. Links to MedPage Today interviews with the candidates are included where applicable.

Arizona District 1: This race remained too close to call at press time. With 60% of the votes counted, Republican incumbent David Schweikert was leading Amish Shah, MD (D), an emergency physician and former state legislator, by a vote of 51% to 49%.

Kansas District 3: Oncologist Prasanth Reddy, MD (R), lost to incumbent Rep. Sharice Davids (D) by a margin of 53% to 43%.

Minnesota District 3: Kelly Morrison, MD (D), an ob/gyn and state senator in suburban Minneapolis, won her race, defeating district court judge Tad Jude (R) by a margin of 58% to 41%.

Missouri District 3: Bob Onder, MD, JD (R), an allergist and a lawyer, beat his opponent, technology specialist Bethany Mann (D), by a margin of 61% to 35%.

New Jersey District 3: In this doctor-versus-doctor contest, primary care physician and lawyer Herb Conaway, MD, JD (D), defeated cardiologist Rajesh Mohan, MD (R), by a margin of 53% to 45%.

Oregon District 3: Pulmonologist Maxine Dexter, MD (D), beat Joanna Harbour (R), a lawyer, by a margin of 69% to 25%.

South Carolina District 3: Sheri Biggs, NP (R), a family and mental health nurse practitioner, handily defeated her opponent, paint store manager Bryon Best (D), by a margin of 72% to 25%.

Texas District 34: In this hotly contested, yet-to-be-decided race, Mayra Flores (R), a respiratory therapist and former House member, is slightly behind Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D), a lawyer, by a margin of 51% to 49%.

Utah District 3: Mike Kennedy, MD, JD (R), a family physician, attorney, and state senator, defeated Glenn Wright (D), a security consultant, by a vote of 65% to 35%.

Wisconsin District 8: Ob/gyn Kristin Lyerly, MD (D), who now commutes from her home in Wisconsin to practice in rural Minnesota, lost to Tony Wied (R), a former owner of a gas-and-convenience-store chain, by a margin of 57% to 43%.

None of the physicians now serving in the Senate — Rand Paul, MD (R-Ky.), John Barrasso, MD (R-Wyo.), Bill Cassidy, MD (R-La.), and Roger Marshall, MD (R-Kansas) — were up for reelection this year.

Several House members who are physicians, including Ami Bera, MD (D-Calif.), Scott DesJarlais, MD (R-Tenn.), Neal Dunn, MD (R-Fla.), Ronny Jackson, MD (R-Texas), Andy Harris, MD (R-Md.), and Greg Murphy, MD (R-S.C.), were all reelected, as were Buddy Carter, BSPharm (R-Ga.), a pharmacist, and Lauren Underwood, RN (D-Ill.), a nurse. Rep. Kim Schrier, MD (D-Wash.) is currently leading in her reelection bid with 65% of the votes counted.

The House is also losing several physician members, including Mike Burgess, MD (R-Texas), and Larry Bucshon, MD (R-Ind.). Rep. Brad Wenstrup, DPM (R-Ohio), a podiatrist, is also stepping down, as is Drew Ferguson, DMD (R-Ga.), a dentist.