President Donald Trump is convinced that his controversial Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. holds the key to maintaining Republican congressional majorities — but GOP lawmakers aren't so sure.
The president is betting that Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" followers will matter more in the midterm elections than voters who oppose his vaccine policies, but nearly all Republicans up for re-election expressed doubts about the longtime anti-vaccine activist's position on childhood inoculation, reported Politico.
“We’ve got to sort that out,” said Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who is facing a primary challenge from two Republicans. “Polling shows Americans believe in vaccines.”
Trump spokesperson Kush Desai insisted the president has "full confidence" in the HHS secretary, but prominent Republicans declined to defend Kennedy.
“That’s really not my priority,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who's facing his own primary challenge from Ken Paxton, the state attorney general.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) told Politico she didn't think about Kennedy's service “from a political perspective," but admits she was “alarmed” by Kennedy pushing out the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month. Others declined to comment on whether the MAHA agenda would help them win re-election or not.
"Going into the midterms probably the biggest issue is going to come back to the economy, inflation, the price of gas,” said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT).
Cassidy has called dismissed CDC director, Susan Monarez, to testify Wednesday before the Senate's health committee, which Collins said she supported but which could prove to be risky for the Louisiana Republican if Trump decides to withhold his endorsement.
Kennedy has a higher approval rating, 42 percent, than Trump or any other member his cabinet, and polling shows high levels of support for his priorities, such as healthier school lunches and banning some chemical from food, a new survey by a MAGA-adjacent polling firm found widespread support for childhood vaccines.
But concerns about Kennedy's changes to vaccine schedules and recommendations haven't broken through with most voters, with 60 percent of parents surveyed this summer saying they've heard “little to nothing” about those actions and policies.