Opinion: Measles is back — and becoming a midterm liability for Republicans

Oct. 19, 2026 Bucshon and Burgess served in Congress after decades practicing as a cardiothoracic surgeon and a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology, respectively. As physicians, we’ve spent our careers giving parents the information they need to protect themselves and their families. As former members of Congress, we’ve helped our party promote sound public health policies. But right now, both of those commitments are being tested. If current polling trends hold, Republicans could lose their majorities in both the House and Senate this November. Most pundits attribute this potential blue wave to voters’ frustration with gas prices and the broader cost of living. But another issue is quietly hurting GOP candidates: our party’s often mixed messaging on vaccines. As vaccination levels have dipped, measles has returned. Cases surged in 2025, triggering quarantines and straining emergency rooms and doctors’ offices. More than one in 10 measles patients required hospitalization. This year, the United States has already recorded more than 4,000 cases, the highest annual total since 1991, along with six related deaths. These numbers are showing no sign of decline. Voters have certainly noticed — and they’re blaming Republicans. According to a recent KFF poll, more than 60% of voters now disapprove of the Trump administration’s handling of vaccine policy. Only 28% of independents approve. Democrats now hold a 16-point advantage on the issue: Forty-one percent of voters trust them more to handle vaccine policy, compared with 25% who trust Republicans. It didn’t have to be this way. President Trump has been a strong voice for vaccines, affirming that childhood immunizations work and encouraging parents to vaccinate their children. But he has promoted vaccine misinformation in the past, and in August, he signed an executive order to slim down the childhood vaccine schedule, and at the signing, suggested a link between vaccines and autism that decades of research have ruled out. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and Human Services has thrown a key vaccine advisory panel into turmoil, threatened government vaccination programs, and downplayed the danger of measles — all at a moment when Americans are looking to their government for clarity. For parents trying to make the right call for their children, these leaders’ mixed messages breed confusion — and confusion fuels vaccine hesitancy. That’s extremely unfortunate, because the measles vaccine is the best tool we have against the disease. Before the MMR vaccine, the disease used to infect up to 4 million Americans every year, hospitalizing around 48,000 and killing around 500. Parents lived in fear of it. The vaccine changed everything, and by 2000, the United States had officially eliminated measles. Now, we’re about to lose that hard-won elimination status. Our party’s own data warned us that backsliding on vaccines would hurt our prospects. In 2025, the Republican polling firm Fabrizio Ward published a memo finding broad bipartisan support for routine childhood vaccines and warning that undermining them would cost votes. The numbers are stark. Seventy-four percent of Americans say ensuring broad availability of Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccines should be a priority. Nearly 70% say they would be more likely to vote for a congressional candidate who vows to preserve vaccine access over one who seeks to rescind it. And crucially, more than 50% of voters say they’d be less likely to support a candidate who doesn’t support vaccines, even if they align with that candidate on other issues. In other words, silence on vaccines is becoming a dealbreaker for voters who would otherwise vote Republican. Democratic candidates have wasted no time in turning the issue to their advantage. If Republicans come up short in November, there will be plenty of blame to go around — but this wound is self-inflicted. The good news is that a self-inflicted wound is one we can heal ourselves. Republican candidates should address the measles resurgence by loudly promoting access to FDA-approved vaccines and insisting that families receive dependable information from their physicians. Parental choice and confidence in vaccines are not competing values. Our party has championed both for generations, and voters are waiting to see whether we still do. Americans are asking a simple question: “How do I keep my family safe?” They deserve a clear, consistent, and science-based answer. We cannot let vaccine confusion overshadow our broader agenda or drive away voters who share our values. The future of our party, and the health of our nation’s children, depend on getting this right. Former Reps. Larry Bucshon, M.D., a Republican from Indiana, and Michael C. Burgess, M.D., a Republican from Texas, served in Congress after decades practicing as a cardiothoracic surgeon and a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology, respectively.