Political strategists were warning the GOP to take health care concerns among Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again followers seriously after a new poll revealed the key voting bloc that helped elect President Donald Trump was now turning on him, according to reports on Monday.
If Trump and Republicans ignore the signal, then it could cost them the midterms, according to a Politico poll. The results found that Trump voters who had pushed for a rollback on vaccine recommendations and an adjusted food pyramid were divided over MAHA progress. Meanwhile, most voters see Democrats as better equipped to address key health issues in advance of the 2026 midterm elections. And 41 percent of MAHA fans who voted for Trump, said the president has not done enough to make America healthy again, according to the poll conducted by Public First from March 13 to 18, which surveyed 3,851 adults online.
"These views could have real consequences in a midterm election year when razor-thin differences in turnout could determine control of Congress," Politico reported. "And Democrats are bullish about channeling voters’ frustration with the Trump administration’s policies into a blue wave this cycle."
After Kennedy withdrew his independent presidential campaign in 2024, his MAHA supporters, including the MAHA Alliance Super PAC, helped convince undecided and independent voters to back Trump, The Daily Beast reported.
But MAHA has not been satisfied with the Trump administration's handling of its policy agenda.
Rodney Whitlock, a Republican aide and now health care strategist, told Politico that the Republican Party hasn't necessarily focused on MAHA priorities, and instead has zoned in on restricting abortion access and vaccine reductions.
“Republicans have to be working from the perspective of ‘everything matters,’” Whitlock said. “To do differently is political suicide.”
