Democrats face a tough sell with MAHA voters
"I'm not interested in working with people who are trying to get rid of our champion." The big picture: Some Democrats were making overtures to MAHA voters on key issues ahead of the midterms.
Key points
- Angela Alsobrooks called for Kennedy to resign or be fired, MAHA influencer Kelly Ryerson — known as "Glyphosate Girl" — said she didn't understand the strategy and warned it "will lose many future voters." "Food Babe" Vani Hari wrote to Democrats in response to the same post: "This is not how you win a coalition or work together.
- Some of the movement's leaders blame low turnout for the GOP's terrible election night, saying MAHA faithful stayed home because they were disappointed with the Trump administration and a lack of progress on food and environmental issues.
- Driving the news: "There are good people across the political spectrum who want to be part of this, and we're going to find every last one of them and fight with them," MAHA Action president Tony Lyons said last week on the organization's weekly call.
Why it matters: Democrats want to convince health-conscious voters that they're the party that can deliver on food and pesticide use, but many view an alliance with Kennedy as a nonstarter.
Additional details
- Lyons also rejected suggestions that the movement is dead, saying "we've won the hearts and minds of the American people." Yes, but: Democrats have drawn the line on vaccine issues, refusing to adopt Kennedy's medical freedom agenda or greater scrutiny of vaccine safety.
- The potential for partnership between newly ascendant Democrats and the "Make America Healthy Again" movement is already threatened by their deep disagreements over Health Secretary Robert F.
- "The voters sent a clear message to this administration and to all political parties, that we are not motivated to vote for people who have a lack of integrity.
- For the new Democratic majority, progress on certain MAHA-backed issues may be more important than the actual endorsement of MAHA leadership.
- Few seem willing to accommodate Kennedy, who's likely to be a top target for oversight and investigations once Democrats take power.
How this summary was made: extractive summary — built from the sources' own reporting. It is drawn only from the reporting of the sources listed below — read the originals for full detail. How we summarize →
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