§ April 2020:Nurses for Biden, formed during the 2020 Democratic primary.

§ August 2020: Nurses for Biden-Harris, following the selection of Kamala Harris as the vice-presidential nominee.

§ February 2022: Nurses for America, created to support Democratic candidates up and down the ballot during the 2022 midterm elections.

§ July 2024 to present, 2026:Nurses for America continues to support Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, including Harris-Walz in 2024 and the 2025-2026 special elections and midterm elections

Nurses for Biden was founded on April 7, 2020, by Erin Hartnett, DNP, PPCNP-BC, FAAN, to support Joe Biden during the Democratic primary. Erin had campaigned for Biden in Iowa and South Carolina during the primaries. One week after she returned to New York City, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the city shut down.

During that difficult period, Erin received a call from the Biden campaign simply checking in to see how she was doing. The campaign invited her to meet with Joe Biden on a virtual rope line because he was concerned about nurses. On April 7, in the middle of the surge, Erin met with Biden. He listened closely as she described the challenges nurses were facing, including shortages of personal protective equipment, telehealth barriers, and scope-of-practice issues. That conversation inspired Erin to launch Nurses for Biden, with the goal of motivating nurses across the country to help elect Joe Biden.

The first Nurses for Biden virtual meeting took place during Nurses Week on May 9, 2020. Responding to invitations on social media, four nurses from three states attended that first meeting. By the November election the group had grown to more than 2,500 members. Nurses from across the country came together around a shared desire for a president who believed in science, protected public health, and advocated for nurses. 

The COVID-19 pandemic brought renewed recognition and respect for the nursing profession. Nurses for Biden created a strong national online community dedicated not only to electing Joe Biden, but also to giving nurses a platform for advocacy, policy discussion, and voter mobilization.

The core team was led by Erin Hartnett and met weekly.  (I would not include the names of these nurses without their permission, and they did not engage after Biden won) . National virtual member meetings were held every other Tuesday to discuss health policy issues important to nurses and the broader healthcare community. The organization used digital platforms, virtual events and guest speakers to motivate nurses to become actively involved in the campaign.

§ Nurses for Biden created a Mobilize account for meeting announcements and sign-ups, a Zoom account for national meetings, email and social media accounts, a Slack workspace, a YouTube presence, an organizational website, and a newsletter. Inspirational photographs of nurses, such as “I Voted” pictures, volunteering at immunization clinics, and receiving our own first miraculous Covid-19 vaccinations were posted. 

§ The group hosted workshops to teach nurses how to write letters to the editor and opinion pieces, many of which were published by major news outlets.

· Nurses for Biden published nurse-authored blog posts, organized a video challenge, hosted weekly Biden Compassionate Community Calls phone banks with member Rosanne Farrell a frequent participant, coordinated postcard and letter-writing parties, and held a Pete Souza documentary event.

Concurrently, individuals who were members of the American Nurses Association (ANA) were urging the association to be more visible in the public policy arena.  After the 2016 election, the ANA changed its policy on Presidential endorsement to one of non-endorsement.   Those members  actively lobbied the association to reverse its decision.  The efforts were not successful.

In August 2020, after Kamala Harris was selected as the vice-presidential nominee, the organization became Nurses for Biden-Harris (NFBH) (could use the abbreviation throughout). By September, the group had outgrown its Gmail account and transitioned to a web-based email system. It had also grown large enough to host a national virtual kickoff on October 7, led by Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, RN, with nearly 400 nurses in attendance.

Throughout the campaign, Nurses for Biden-Harris hosted national leaders and advocates, including Christine Pelosi, Eve Ensler, Sherrod Brown, Travis Nelson, Robin Cogan, Anna Perng, and Shawn Kennedy, for discussions on health policy and civic engagement. The organization also partnered with Ohio Nurses for Biden, led by Carol Roe and Eileen Gordon; Vot-ER, led by Alister Martin, MD; and Doctors for Biden, led by Alice Chen, MD.

President Biden’s inauguration was unlike any other because of the pandemic. With no traditional parade or inaugural ball, the Presidential Inaugural Committee organized three Inaugural Days of Service, and Nurses for Biden-Harris participated in each one.

§ January 18, 2021 — MLK Day of Service:Nurses for Biden-Harris pledged to help recruit 10,000 nurses who were not on the front lines to sign up to administer COVID-19 vaccines in their local communities.

· January 19, 2021 — COVID Memorial Candle Lighting Ceremony:Nurses for Biden-Harris held a live Facebook memorial honoring nurses who died from COVID-19, reading their names alongside music and poetry.

· Virtual Inaugural Parade: Nurses for Biden-Harris partnered with Creatives for Democracy to produce “100 Days. 100 Nurses,” led by Donna Gaffney. The video honored President-elect Biden’s request that everyone wear a mask for the first 100 days and featured photographs of 100 nurses from across the United States, across multiple healthcare settings, all wearing masks. The images were set to “Hero & the Sage” by Tara Beier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bckYN6lKHKM

After the election, Nurses for Biden-Harris members turned their focus to fighting the pandemic in their local communities. NFBH had gained national recognition from the Biden team, and Erin was invited to participate in three healthcare initiatives with the Biden administration: the COVID Community Corps, led by Vice President Harris and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy; the White House Healthcare Provider Stakeholders group, led by Alister Martin, MD, founder of Vot-ER and a White House Fellow in the Office of the Vice President; and Made to Save, a vaccine advocacy group led by Alice Chen, MD.

These groups met virtually each week to connect frontline healthcare providers with the administration, share information from communities across the country, and help communicate pandemic-related needs and updates. After the pandemic came under better control, Erin was invited to the White House five times for health-related events.

In June 2021, President Biden declared a “National Month of Action” with a goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults to receive at least 1 COVID-19 vaccination by July 4. NFBH members participated in the Month of Action and received personal letters from President Biden “for contributions during our Month of Action to get our friends, neighbors, and loved ones vaccinated and protected against the deadly coronavirus.”

In February 2022, Erin reconvened NFBH members to support Democratic candidates in the midterm elections. The organization reenergized under a new name, Nurses for America (NFA), and expanded its core team: Catherine Dodd, Donna Gaffney, Rosanne Farrell, Patricia Ford - Roegner, Eileen Gordon, Erin Hartnett, Carol Roe, and others. NFA’s mission was to support Democratic candidates up and down the ballot across the country.

NFA developed a new website and social media presence under its new name. Core members focused on Democratic midterm candidates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The following candidates received NFA support letters and addressed NFA meetings. 

1. Tim Ryan OH

2. Lauren Underwood RN IL 

3. Max Rose NY

4. Matt Kilboy RN OH

5. Emilia Sykes OH *

6. Trudy Busch Valentine RN MI

7. Yadera Caraveo MD CO *

8. Josh Riley NY

9. Pam Genant RN NC

10. Jackie Gordon NY

11. Robert Zimmerman NY

12. Nan Whaley OH *

13. Maggie Hasan NH *

14. Katie Porter CA *

15. Josh Harder CA

16. Asif Mamood MD CA

17. Jay Chen CA

18. Mike Levin CA

19. Jamie Skinner OR

20. Sydney Kamlager CA

21. Jeanne Hendricks RN

22. Will Rollins CA

NFA hosted postcard-writing parties, wrote letters to the editor, and held fundraisers for Lauren Underwood and Sherrod Brown. A candidate spreadsheet was developed by Catherine Dodd for the NFA website. Catherine Dodd and Patricia Ford-Roegner both experienced in public policy provided valuable insight for the group. During the 2022 midterms, Democrats narrowly lost control of the House but gained seats in the Senate and won important governorships.

In 2023, NFA worked diligently to support Biden administration policies and collaborated with Protect Our Care, the White House Allies Group, Made to Save, the Reproductive Health Coalition, and Vot-ER.

NFA developed a social media strategy to amplify policies related to the Affordable Care Act, NATO, the Supreme Court, COVID-19 funding, the American Rescue Plan, Infrastructure, vaccines, gun safety, reproductive rights, access to quality healthcare, lower Medicare prescription drug costs, student debt relief, and support for Ukraine.

In July 2023, NFA endorsed Biden-Harris for the 2024 election. 

In November 2023, Ohio Nurses for Biden Harris led by Carol Roe and Eileen Gordon helped secure a major victory for reproductive rights to help enshrine reproductive rights in the Ohio Constitution.

NFA addressed the serious threat to women’s health following the overturning of Roe v. Wade and partnered with Morgan Mohr a Biden administration strategist for women's health worked with Erin Hartnett on many initiatives and presentations. 

The NFA Core representatives to the Reproductive Healthcare Coalition developed NFA statements on the end of Roe and many challenging issues to reproductive healthcare and autonomy.

After President Biden exited the presidential race in July 2024, NFA became Nurses for America-Harris-Walz.  (we never used this acronym so we could stay recognized as NFA and just hyphen the candidates) The organization worked intensely during the final 100 days of the campaign to get out the vote for Harris-Walz.

NFA-Harris-Walz  partnered with Doctors for Harris-Walz to host four webinars focusing on gun safety, climate change, reproductive freedom, and Project 2025, as well as a National Canvass Days with Doctors for Harris-Walz.

§ Erin Hartnett stepped down from the NFA leadership in January 2025 after founding our organization and leading it for four years. NFA Core members now share leadership responsibilities for the organization, with regular input from alumni Core members. In addition, a Candidate and Elections Committee (CEC) was formed in 2025 to identify and approve candidates for NFA endorsement. NFA .The CEC also identifies State Campaign Champions and State Campaign Leaders, as well as provide support.

· Eileen Gordon leads the Communication Committee, and is responsible for the bimonthly NFA newsletter, website and email. NFA Core members share annual expenses for NFA website/email and the zoom account for meetings and mobilize events. 

· NFA Core members develop position statements for the organization based upon consensus. Position Statements are posted on the website and circulated in social media accounts. In addition, position statements are disseminated to members of Congress and to Senate Committees on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and Committee on  Finance (Health Care subcommittee), and other committees as needed. We respond to requests for time sensitive alerts, such as sign on letters, position statements, and NFA Newsletter alerts and proceed with action after a majority vote of the Core is received. NFA Core members develop national NFA virtual programs such as issue briefings, candidate forums, and candidate fund raisers, often in partnership with other professional organizations who share our mission and beliefs. 

NFA’s laser focus now is based on the NFA Mission Statement and NFA Beliefs (2025) and responding as best we can to the issues that NFA articulates in our mission statement and beliefs. The 2026 current NFA Core Leaders include nurses from across the country – CA, WA, WI, OH, VA, PA, NC, NY, TX DE AND CT. If interested in joining the core leadership team, please contact NFA info@nursesforamerica.net