Running as an independent candidate, he was the Democratic nominee for the 2020 United States Senate election in Alaska, losing the race to incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan.
[4] Gross attended Douglas High School in Juneau before enrolling at Amherst College, where he graduated in 1985 with a degree in neuroscience.
Gross retired from full-time orthopedic surgery in 2013, but continues to work part time for the Petersburg Medical Center.
The Quality Health Insurance for Alaskans Act sought to add certain provisions from the Affordable Care Act into state law, including protection against discrimination based on preexisting conditions, mandatory coverage for prenatal and maternal care, and provisions that children could remain covered by their parents' insurance until age 26.
The Healthcare for Alaskans Act would codify the Medicaid expansion, already in effect due to an executive order by Governor Bill Walker.
[13] Gross said, "I stepped up to do this because the Alaska economy has been failing, we’ve been losing Alaskans to the Lower 48 for the past few years, and despite that labor loss, we had the highest unemployment in the country.
[14] There was speculation that the political fallout of the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Amy Coney Barrett Supreme Court nomination could dampen support for incumbent Sullivan and benefit Gross's campaign.
[18] On March 28, 2022, Gross announced he would run as an independent candidate for Alaska's at-large congressional seat that was vacated upon the death of Congressman Don Young.
[19] Although he won third place in the blanket primary and the opportunity to compete in the general election, which would be decided on ranked voting, he withdrew on June 20, 2022.
Despite receiving the Alaska Democratic Party's endorsement, Gross is an independent politician and says he is closer to Republicans on such "issues like guns and immigration".
He also supports raising the minimum wage, defending collective bargaining rights for workers and unions, efforts to make college more affordable and accessible, and earlier tracking into trade schools.
Citing his background in science, Gross supports policies that address climate change, including the growth of renewable energy and opposition to the Pebble Mine project.