MAHA, the Make America Healthy cohort of the 2024 Trump presidential campaign, was an interesting mix of never-before-aligned political teammates. Chronic disease parents, populist industry skeptics, manosphere bros, MAHA-MAMAs, and others that, like so many cohesive forces in Trumpworld lost much of their molecular bond when Donald Trump won in 2024 and permanent Washington tried to ice out the disruptive and sometimes rowdy crew.
The narrative that MAHA has been smashed by the blue Election Day wave is supposed to be taken as fact if you obey the bipartisan chorus who hated MAHA perhaps more than any other piece of MAGA. That read misses the reality of the movement that helped give Trump an absolute majority of votes two years ago. That coalition firmly believes Americans are fatter, sicker, and die way too soon. They believe the industries that control our food and medicine are at best ineffective at fixing health problems, and at worst, sometimes complicit in causing them.
MAHA priorities seemed to slip behind safer and more easily tackled problems, frustrating grassroots MAHA leaders like Calley Means, who left before the midterms. Brewing frustration with Trump officials (specifically Susie Wiles) boiled over when (according to Means) industry lobbying derailed key initiatives supported by MAHA.
Political insiders are now crafting a MAHA 2.0 that seeks to snuggle back with legacy lobbying. But the coalition that created networks of newly activated workers, many of whom have never volunteered before is not going away. The potent energy MAHA created in 2024 was not renewed in 2026 and many waited on the sidelines for 2028 and beyond. Getting that band back together was however beyond the grasp of those invested in 2026. Trump declared after the midterms that the MAGA movement stays away from the polls “if I’m not on the ballot.”
Losers. MAHA Action (the political arm tied to Tony Lyons and aligned with Kennedy’s orbit) and related groups endorsed roughly 21 federal candidates. About a dozen lost. High-profile defeats included Zach Lahn for Iowa governor (lost by about 11 points to Rob Sand after Kennedy called the race one of the country’s most important and groups spent heavily), Ken Paxton for Texas Senate (lost to James Talarico despite major MAHA Action PAC support), and Roger Marshall for Kansas Senate (lost to Adam Hamilton; Marshall founded the Senate MAHA Caucus and became the first Republican to lose a Kansas Senate seat in nearly a century). Iowa also saw MAHA-aligned House members Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks fall, plus Ashley Hinson’s Senate bid.
Winners. State-level results were stronger in safer seats. MAHA Institute highlighted Iowa winners including Wendy Larson (House 7), Kevin Alons (Senate 7), Samantha Fett (House 22), Sandy Salmon (Senate 29), Austin Stubbs (House 45), Dan Gehlbach (House 46), and Jeff Shipley (House 87). Federally, Julia Letlow narrowly won Louisiana’s open Senate seat (about 51-49) after MAHA PAC backing helped her primary against Bill Cassidy; Anna Paulina Luna held Florida’s 13th; Brandon Gill held Texas’s 26th; Mike Haridopolos held Florida’s 8th. Arizona’s Leo Biasiucci and Janae Shamp, Georgia’s Charlice Byrd and Karen Mathiak, and multiple Kentucky and Ohio legislators also won.
Leaders. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFKJ) the movement’s current HHS Secretary, remains its central figure. When the history books look back at the Trump years, Kennedy may be one of the most perplexing and ultimately impactful figures. It is hard to imagine anyone giving up more for this Presidency than RFKJ. A 2024 Presidential contender himself, he built a considerable movement within his Presidential bid around chronic disease treatment and prevention. Trump saw an opportunity as RFKJ was poorly treated by the Democrat party (such as not providing him the customary Secret Service Protection) and also perceptively noted Kennedy’s popularity with his own base as RFKJ was welcomed on podcasts such as the Megyn Kelly Show and Joe Rogan. Within his own base, a populist uprising was taking place, cutting across party lines to push back against perceived outsized influencers in RINO waywardness centered on Pharma, particularly around the COVID-19 vaccine and were mad as hell at the heavy handedness of the Biden Presidency’s pandemic policies. Only in such chaos, with a leader like Trump, could the GOP hallucinate the possibility of a pro-choice Kennedy as HHS Secretary.
RFKJ’s Aunt, Caroline disowned him publicly and called for him to be voted down in his confirmation hearings, calling him a “predator,” concluding that she “unlike Bobby” tries not to speak for her late father JFK, but suspended her self-imposed moratorium to say JFK and his brothers Bobby and Ted would be “disgusted.” That must make for interesting Thanksgiving conversation at the Compound.
The Future of MAHA
Any thought that MAHA will become embraced by the current political left is a fantasy. Kennedy enjoys a strong connection with the libertarian GOP base and will continue to be welcomed by initially hesitant conservatives looking to rebuild. The DSA betters who run the political left are emboldened and their demand for socialized medicine is incompatible with MAHA, so the insiders who push a return to normal will be disappointed.
Dr. Mehmet Oz has excelled as CMS Administrator, becoming a key MAHA leader under RFK Jr. and President Trump. Over the past two years, he has refined his communication skills into a strength for explaining complex reforms on fraud, transparency, rural care, and prevention, while growing as a trusted policy leader with Trump’s ear and agency respect. These abilities position him strongly for a lasting role advancing MAHA’s focus on wellness and results. Oz is clearly the best communicator in the Trump Administration and his voice will grow stronger in the remainder of the term.
In Wisconsin, Sen. Ron Johnson, a longtime MAHA ally who has highlighted regulatory capture, provides a congressional bridge. It is hard to imagine Johnson steering back to Faucian days of industry dominance, and he will be a leading voice in determining where MAHA heads next. Florida Senator Rick Scott, Alabama Governor-elect Tommy Tubberville, Florida Rep Anna Paulina Luna and the majority of the MAHA caucus will be back and will likely disappoint the cool kids at the Capitol Club.
It may go by another name, but the MAHA movement is not going away anytime soon.