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‘Science needs defending’: record number of researchers run for office in US mid-terms

Many Democrats making the switch to politics are motivated by the Trump administration’s cuts to science — whereas energy and AI are a pull for some Republicans.
By
  1. Edward Chen
  2. Max Kozlov
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An unprecedented number of US scientists are trading in their lab coats to run for office in the US mid-term elections in November. Many running as Democrats are motivated by the actions of President Donald Trump and his Republican allies to delay and terminate research funding and redefine the goals of government-funded science. Different issues tend to galvanize the scientists running as Republicans, including the artificial-intelligence driven demand for more energy — along with a desire to play a part in science-backed solutions.

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Nature 652, 1098-1100 (2026)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01134-2

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