There are 13 scientists running for Congress tomorrow — here's what these engineers, physicians, and computer programmers want to do in DC

scientist sean casten running in illinois

When politicians are asked tough questions about policies that defy science, they'll sometimes say, "Hey, I'm not a scientist."

In fact, there is only one Ph.D. scientist among the 535 members of Congress: Bill Foster, who represents Illinois' 11th District. The medical professions are a bit better represented, with three nurses and 15 doctors in Congress.

But 13 new political candidates are attempting to bolster the science credentials on Capitol Hill in the 2018 midterm elections. A crop of scientists are running for office across the country, in states from South Carolina to Nevada and California, hoping voters will pick them on Tuesday.

These candidates have the support of a nonprofit political-action committee called 314 Action, which started in 2016 and is dedicated to recruiting, training, and funding scientists and healthcare workers who want to run for political office.

"Scientists are essentially problem-solvers," Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action, told Business Insider. "Right now, there are more talk radio show hosts in Congress than there are chemists and physicists."

Since Congress wrestles with complex issues like climate change, cybersecurity, and how to provide fairer, cheaper healthcare, Naughton thinks we should put more scientists into the decision-making body.

"Who better to be tackling these issues than scientists?" she said.

Here's what to know about the two Senate and 11 House hopefuls who are running for office.

There are two new scientist candidates running for Senate. Both have political experience, but they've never been senators. One is Phil Bredesen, a Harvard physicist and computer programmer who is running to represent Tennessee.

Bredesen, a Democrat, was governor of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011.

"I love fixing things," Bredesen said in an ad posted on his Twitter account.

To say that Bredesen has been well liked in the state is an understatement: When he was re-elected as governor in 2006, Bredesen swept every county. During his time as governor, he expanded health-insurance coverage in the state and also made forest preservation a priority.

The former founder of HealthAmerica Corporation — an HMO that was bought by a larger company in 1986 — is still focused on healthcare pricing and coverage in his Senate race.

He’s vying for Republican Bob Corker’s old seat, running against Republican congresswoman Marsha Blackburn.

The other is congresswoman and computer programmer Jacky Rosen, who is running for Senate in Nevada. She champions internet privacy protection for consumers.

Rosen, who was elected to Congress in 2016, is running for Senate against Nevada’s senior senator Dean Heller.

A Democrat, Rosen has pointed out that her opponent was a deciding vote on the law that allows internet-service providers to sell consumer data without their permission. Rosen also touts her role in the construction of a large solar array in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson. That array, she said, reduced her synagogue’s energy bill by 70%.

The Hill rates the Republican seat Rosen is running for as one of the most likely to flip this year. Nevada voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Chrissy Houlahan is an Air Force vet, industrial engineer, MIT grad, and former high school chemistry teacher. The Democrat is running to represent Pennsylvania's 6th District.

The Republican incumbent in Pennsylvania's 6th District, Ryan Costello, isn't running this year, after he fumed about the district lines being redrawn. (A map of the district had to be retraced after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the district had been unfairly gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.)

Instead, Houlahan is running against Republican Greg McCauley, a tax lawyer who's owned 20 Wendy's franchises. Like Houlahan, McCauley has never run for office before.

Houlahan, who was the chief operating officer of And1 (a basketball apparel company), has said that one of her top priorities if elected would be to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for everyone.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider