Two Republican orthopedic surgeons from Oregon and Montana and one independent surgeon from Alaska are vying for congressional seats this year:
1. John Di Paola, MD, a retired orthopedic surgeon, is running for the congressional seat in Oregon's 5th District. In 2020, Dr. Di Paola sold the orthopedic practice he founded 22 years earlier in Tualatin, Ore. Three others are vying for the Republican nomination in the district.
2. Al Olszewski, MD, is running as a Republican for Montana's 1st Congressional District. Dr. Olszewski has served six years in the Montana Legislature, where he sponsored bills to improve medical liability reform, increase reimbursement for Medicaid services, prevent unexpected out-of-network medical bills for patients and reform loan forgiveness programs for physicians in rural communities. He was elected to the Montana House of Representatives in 2014 and served in the state Senate from 2016-20.
3. Al Gross, MD, is running as an independent for Alaska's U.S. House seat. Dr. Gross hopes to be elected and finish the term of Republican Rep. Don Young, who died in March. The surgeon was unsuccessful in his attempt to unseat Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan in the 2020 U.S. Senate race, during which his campaign centered on addressing high healthcare costs in Alaska and balancing Medicare by negotiating directly with the pharmaceutical industry to redirect funds from drug companies to providers.