RFK Jr. launches midterm travel push to shore up ‘MAHA’ support

The Trump White House counts RFK Jr. as a top surrogate – but he comes with downsides, too.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Grapevine, Texas, on March 27, 2026. Leandro Lozada/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is ramping up midterm travel to revive his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, armed with a carefully crafted list of popular food and fitness policies to sell — and divisive issues like vaccines to avoid.

“MAHA is a charged item tied to MAGA, but the issues that he’s really delivered victories on are popular, and we’re going to try to execute a strategy to talk, you know, really about those issues and what he’s done,” said a senior administration official, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to discuss the secretary’s midterm strategy.

Kennedy will appear alongside Republican House and Senate lawmakers in states with some of the most competitive House and Senate races this fall — as well as many of the 2028 presidential swing states. Kennedy is expected to visit Arizona, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, California, Virginia, Ohio, Montana and Texas.

© Politico