STAT+: Five midterm races to watch that could be crucial for vaccine policy

STAT PlusPolitics Five midterm races to watch that could be crucial for vaccine policy The Trump administration wants to give states more latitude, and some candidates are running with it Manage alerts for this article Email this article Share this article By Chelsea CirruzzoSept. 10, 2026 Washington Correspondent Chelsea Cirruzzo[email protected]Chelsea covers the Department of Health and Human Services with a particular focus on power and influence at the top. Confidential tips can be sent via Signal at chelseacirruzzo.42.

In Iowa, the Republican candidate for governor wants to end all school vaccine requirements. In Florida, the Republican running for governor recently told CBS that he supported his state’s push to remove certain vaccine mandates for schools. And in Texas, the Republican Senate candidate spent the last few years as the state’s attorney general investigating financial interests linked to vaccine recommendations.

Vaccine policy has become a prominent issue ahead of the November midterms elections, spurred on by a vaccine-skeptical president and health secretary. A number of Republican candidates have embraced health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again message, which includes an emphasis on medical freedom and a rejection of vaccine mandates.

Other, more liberal candidates, have positioned themselves as willing to stand up and hold Kennedy accountable. Advertisement “I can’t wait to sit across from RFK Jr. and actually grill him,” Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed said on CNN in August after winning his party’s nomination.

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Subscribe Log In Congress, infectious disease, Policy, states, Vaccines Submit a correction requestReprints Chelsea Cirruzzo Washington Correspondent Chelsea covers the Department of Health and Human Services with a particular focus on power and influence at the top. Confidential tips can be sent via Signal at chelseacirruzzo.42. Newsletter The latest updates in federal health agencies, research institutes, and U.S.

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