MAHA voters don’t seem likely to be GOP’s midterm boost

MAHA voters may not be GOP’s midterm boost

While the Trump administration has courted the Make America Health Again (MAHA) voting bloc, those efforts don’t seem likely to result in return at the ballot box.

MAHA helped give Trump an important ally in Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime Democrat before he endorsed Trump and joined his administration. That gave Republicans access to a new group of voters, which could be key to helping lift the party in a year where Trump’s ratings are underwater .

Tony Lyons, one of Kennedy’s top allies, launched an ambitious $100 million fundraising campaign through his MAHA PAC.

In the first half of 2025, prior to the Lyons pledge, the committee spent $3.8 million, and none of it went to candidates. To date, MAHA PAC has raised about $2.4 million and has only about $287,000 cash on hand, according to the most recent campaign finance filings.

Political strategists, however, have frequently acknowledged that the MAHA voters who voted for Trump are not necessarily the same ones who will show up for the GOP in the midterms.

Jeff Hutt, who worked on Kennedy’s presidential campaign and was formerly involved with the PAC, said the small dollar donors were the heart and soul of Kennedy’s campaign. They were not necessarily Trump supporters or even Republicans.

“They believed in Bobby Kennedy and they believed in what he was doing. But you take Bobby Kennedy out of that equation, and you just put it on a select group of Republicans who are running under the MAHA title, I just don’t think the interest is really there,” Hutt said.

“The [MAHA] endorsement itself won’t probably move the needle, but if they put a lot of money publicizing the endorsements, it could help GOP candidates some in tight races,” he added. “But either way, I think it will be minimal. If the GOP is hoping these endorsements are going to stem a blue wave, I’m afraid they are grasping at straws.”

Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter , we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

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