The Federal Workers DOGE Fired Are Running for Congress

When the Department of Government Efficiency started cutting federal jobs in 2025, most of the people it laid off went looking for new work. A few are running for Congress instead, against the people who let it happen.

If one of them is running in your district, you can look up the full field at Find Your Ballot.

Alexis Goldstein, Maryland's 6th District

Alexis Goldstein was a program manager at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency that handles complaints against banks and lenders. She was fired in early 2026 after she documented DOGE staffers inside the CFPB's headquarters, and she announced her campaign for Maryland's 6th District days later. Before her government work, she spent years on Wall Street as a programmer and analyst. The seat is rated Safe Democratic, so the primary is the race to watch. Campaign site: electalexis.org. On X: @alexisgoldstein.

Alissa Ellman, New York's 24th District

Alissa Ellman is an Army veteran who served at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan and later worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs, helping veterans secure their benefits. She lost that job in the DOGE staffing cuts, and she is now challenging Republican incumbent Claudia Tenney in New York's 24th District, which covers the Finger Lakes region. The seat is rated Safe Republican, making her a long shot in November, but her story drew national attention, including a segment on The Daily Show. Campaign site: ellmanforcongress.com.

Michael Duffin, Virginia's 8th District

Michael Duffin was a State Department employee, one of roughly 1,300 staffers let go in the department's 2025 cuts. He is running in Virginia's 8th District, the Northern Virginia seat just across the river from Washington that is home to a large share of the federal workforce. He has built his campaign around reinstating fired federal workers and pushing back on the cuts. The seat is rated Safe Democratic, so the primary decides it. Campaign site: duffin4va.com.

Tracy Starr, Maryland's 5th District

Tracy Starr spent two decades in public service before landing a job at USAID in January 2025, weeks before DOGE moved to shut the foreign-aid agency down and she lost the position. She is running in Maryland's 5th District on a platform of protecting federal workers from what she calls unjust firings. It is a crowded Safe Democratic primary in a district long held by veteran Representative Steny Hoyer. Campaign site: friendsoftracy.com. On X: @TracyforMD05.

Why these campaigns are worth a look

Three of the four are running in Safe Democratic seats, where the primary is the whole contest. The fourth, Ellman, is the long shot, taking on a Republican incumbent in a seat her party rarely wins. What ties them together is not a district or a ballot. It is that the people closest to the cuts decided the answer was to run for the body that writes the budget and oversees the agencies in the first place.

If one of these districts is yours, you can look up the full field and where each candidate stands at Who's Running, or save your picks with a My Ballot account.

Keep Reading