From Michigan to Arizona, 314 Action’s Doctors and Scientists Put Trump Republicans on Defense
314 Action Fund’s endorsed candidates spent the past week dominating their Republican opponents on the debate stage. In Michigan, South Carolina, Colorado and Arizona, candidates pinned their opponents to the Trump agenda that is driving up gas, grocery and healthcare costs.
“Scientists are trained to look at the evidence, test what works and follow the data, and that’s exactly what voters watched this week,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, President of 314 Action. “From Michigan to Arizona, they laid out the facts on why gas, groceries and health care cost more under Trump Republicans. Their opponents had no answers, only loyalty to Donald Trump. Voters can see the results for themselves, and in three weeks they’ll get to act on them.”
Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN) vs. Mike Rogers
In Grand Rapids on October 8, epidemiologist and former Detroit health director Abdul El-Sayed kept the fight on costs and turned Rogers’ cheerleading for the Iran war against him. After reminding voters that Rogers called the war a win, El-Sayed delivered the line of the night: “When I go to the gas pump, I don’t feel like I’m winning.” He hammered Rogers for cashing in through the revolving door and for voting repeatedly to keep prescription drug prices high.
Dr. Annie Andrews (SC-SEN) vs. Sen. Darline Graham
In Columbia on October 11, pediatrician Dr. Annie Andrews made Graham own her August runoff admission that national security is “not my thing.” Andrews framed it the way a doctor would. If your surgeon shrugged off appendectomies, she asked, “would you still hand him a scalpel?” She called Graham “unserious and unqualified” and branded her “the White House’s ambassador to South Carolina.”
Manny Rutinel (CO-08) vs. Rep. Gabe Evans
In Berthoud on October 7, Manny Rutinel took apart Evans’ economic pitch in front of a sold-out crowd. “Are you sure you want to run on the economy right now?” Rutinel asked, then ran through gas and diesel prices driven up by the Iran war, grocery costs pushed higher by tariffs, and premiums climbing after Evans voted to gut the ACA and Medicaid. He told Evans, “I’m always impressed by your ability to lie,” and warned voters that Evans “only responds to one man, and that is Donald Trump.”
Dr. Amish Shah (AZ-01) vs. Jay Feely
On October 7, ER physician Dr. Amish Shah made the case for a Congress that does its job. “Congress was meant to be a check on the executive,” Shah said, before describing Trump’s hold on Feely’s party: “When he says jump, these guys have to say how high?” Drawing on his years in the emergency room, Shah explained how Medicaid cuts land on hospitals, crowd ERs and raise premiums for everyone.
Jake Johnson (MN-01) vs. Rep. Brad Finstad
On October 13, Jake Johnson, a Rochester public high school math teacher for 20 years, took the debate stage against Finstad. Johnson has spent the campaign answering unscreened questions at town halls in every corner of southern Minnesota, while Finstad has not held a single in-person town hall since taking office.
With three weeks until Election Day, 314 Action’s candidates have shown voters what steady, evidence-based leadership looks like under pressure. Over the past decade, 314 Action has elected over 700+ Democratic scientists and by 2030, our goal is to elect 100 new doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals to office. 314 Action has invested nearly $30 million to take back the House this cycle.
Bottom Line: With less than three weeks until Election Day, 314 Action Fund’s candidates have shown voters what steady, evidence-based leadership looks like under pressure. Over the past decade, 314 Action has elected over 700+ Democratic scientists and by 2030, our goal is to elect 100 new doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals to office. 314 Action has invested nearly $30 million to win Democratic majorities in Congress this cycle.