Republican doctors in Congress join forces in ad promoting COVID-19 vaccinations

Physicians, assemble.

A group of Republican doctors serving in Congress — including Sens. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and John Boozman (R-Ark.), as well as several House Republicans — joined forces to film a new video ad promoting COVID-19 vaccinations.

Polls have suggested GOP voters are, on average, more hesitant about getting vaccinated, so the lawmakers decided to get proactive. In the video, they discuss the vaccines' safety and efficacy, but Marshall adds that getting a shot means "we can throw away our mask and live life as free as we did before." Operation Warp Speed, the initiative launched under the Trump administration, also got a shout for speeding up the Food and Drug Administration's approval process without cutting corners.

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All told, the video was generally warmly received, especially for its ability to combine scientific and medical advice with an appreciation for conservative values.

Still, some viewers joked, in reference to the polarized political climate in the United States, that Republican voters would have been persuaded more easily if the ad featured Democratic lawmakers recommending they don't get vaccinated.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.