Nurse lawmakers say nurse leaders well-equipped for elected office

Three nurse lawmakers urged attendees at AONL 2026 to embrace civic engagement, arguing that the profession's core skills make nurses uniquely equipped for elected office. The panel, moderated by Healing Politics co-founder Lisa Summers, DrPH, RN, featured North Carolina state Sen. Gail Adcock, MSN, RN, North Dakota state Sen. Kristen Roers, MS, RN,  and Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sarah Rodriguez, MSN, RN, all of whom drew direct lines between their clinical backgrounds and their effectiveness as public servants. Each panelist described nursing skills such as managing difficult conversations, storytelling, reading a room and standing one's ground as natural preparation for legislative work. The panelists acknowledged that politics is inherently uncomfortable but urged nurses not to let that deter them. "Just because something is uncomfortable doesn't mean you shouldn't do it," Adcock said. "You do that every day."