{"id":2606402,"date":"2026-05-24T07:52:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:52:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-want-to-win-the-maha-its-complicated\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T07:55:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T11:55:13","slug":"democrats-want-to-win-the-maha-its-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-want-to-win-the-maha-its-complicated\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats want to win the MAHA. It&#8217;s complicated"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-want-to-win-the-maha-its-complicated%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2606402&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections,Democrats are looking for ways to attract some voters from the \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d (MAHA) movement,a coalition influenced by concerns about food and chemical harms and promoted largely through the orbit of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Sen.Cory Booker urged Democrats at a Washington event not to fight MAHA and suggested there may be overlap with MAHA-lite voters-such as people focused on banning harmful additives or reducing certain pharmaceutical advertising.<\/p>\n<p>The article explains that MAHA frustration has included anger tied to the Trump governance\u2019s support for Bayer\/RoundUp after the *Monsanto v. Durnell* case, as well as criticism of EPA rollbacks on certain chemicals in drinking water. While some Democrats argue that GOP resistance to regulation could help MAHA goals, analysts note a deeper ideological mismatch: MAHA\u2019s \u201ccore\u201d distrust of science and institutions may clash with much of the Democratic base.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats\u2019 outreach also faces political complications because Kennedy, once a Democrat, has drawn ire from many Democrats due to skepticism about vaccines and the scientific establishment. Some MAHA advocates say any candidate who supports vaccine mandates would lose their support, adding a major hurdle for democrats trying to court the movement.<\/p>\n<p>Still, Democratic lawmakers have proposed or backed actions aligned with MAHA concerns-such as bills targeting glyphosate production and changes to farm-bill language about legal shielding for chemical companies. However, critics argue these efforts face steep uphill battles, and some contend MAHA aligns more naturally with conservative thinking than with liberal politics-especially given the movement\u2019s stance toward vaccines, science, and institutions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ahead of the November <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11675\">midterm elections<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"249\">Democrats<\/a> are making a play to peel away as many tenuous <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"926\">Republican<\/a> voters as they can. If Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/cory-booker\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"501\">Cory Booker<\/a> (D-NJ) gets his way, a core group of voters that his party will go after is the \u201cMake America Healthy Again\u201d movement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Booker recently implored Democrats not to fight the MAHA movement at a gathering of liberals in Washington.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4579908\/california-post-endorses-spencer-pratt-los-angeles-mayor\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>California Post endorses Pratt for Los Angeles mayor<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4579440\/erika-kirk-prasies-spencer-pratt\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Erika Kirk praises Spencer Pratt as \u2018authentically American\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/4578212\/ken-martin-resign-dnc-autopsy\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ken Martin pressured to quit after release of incomplete DNC autopsy<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe should be telling those loving moms and dads that they are right, right about the chemicals, right about the ultra-processed foods, right about the chronic disease, right that something in America is profoundly broken,\u201d Booker said at the Center for American Progress\u2019s Ideas Conference.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MAHA movement, a diverse coalition of groups, coalesced around Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.\u2019s concerns that too many factors in the United States were making people sicker at the expense of enriching the coffers of corporate America. The movement has mostly also aligned with the Trump administration, but Booker believes that Democrats may have an inroad to winning MAHA voters over.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2025\/24-1068\"><em>Monsanto Company v. Durnell<\/em><\/a>  case has caused some frustrations from MAHA advocates after the Trump administration supported Bayer, the maker of RoundUp. Bayer manufactures the herbicide glyphosate, the main chemical in RoundUp. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roughly 1,000 people, the New Jersey senator included, participated in the\u00a0\u201cPeople vs. Poison\u201d\u00a0rally at the Supreme Court late last month. MAHA advocates have also slammed the Environmental Protection Agency for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gop-blasts-outrageous-biden-admin-offer-to-roll-back-iran-sanctions\/\" title=\"GOP Blasts \u2018Outrageous\u2019 Biden Admin Offer to Roll Back Iran Sanctions\">rolling back restrictions<\/a> on forever chemicals in drinking water.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some Democrats argue that the GOP\u2019s general opposition to government regulation makes it difficult to achieve MAHA\u2019s ambitions. Yet, that doesn\u2019t mean the movement is an easy fit for the ideology of most Democrats either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe core of MAHA fundamentally distrusts science and institutions,\u201d said Kaivan Shroff, a media and culture commentator. \u201cPart of the core Democratic base is deeply institutionalist and is very concerned about the trend away from science and facts. Still, there is definitely an opportunity for Democrats to reach the MAHA-lite crowd that is focused on items like banning harmful food colorings or limiting pharmaceutical advertisements.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThose are actually socially positive policy issues, and a smart Dem could come up with a policy or two that attracts some of those voters \u2014 especially as they start to grow frustrated with Trump, as many in MAHA have,\u201d Shroff added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Booker, along with Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), introduced last month the No Immunity for Glyphosate Act, which would overturn Trump\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2026\/02\/promoting-the-national-defense-by-ensuring-an-adequate-supply-of-elemental-phosphorus-and-glyphosate-based-herbicides\/\">executive order<\/a> promoting the production of glyphosate. While speaking at the CAP conference, Booker claimed that MAHA parents \u201care being betrayed by the current administration\u201d over the herbicide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another Democrat, Rep. Chellie Pingree (ME), teamed up with Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/thomas-massie\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"17668\">Thomas Massie<\/a> (R-KY) and introduced an amendment to the farm bill, which removes language shielding chemical companies from health-related lawsuits. Massie\u2019s primary loss last week was also a blow to MAHA supporters, who championed his work on agriculture.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jennifer Galardi, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-education-lesson-from-covid-lockdowns-school-choice-is-imperative-for-every-child\/\" title=\"The Education Lesson from COVID Lockdowns: School Choice Is Imperative for Every Child\">senior policy analyst<\/a> at the Heritage Foundation, disagreed with the suggestion that Democrats could persuade MAHA voters to defect from the GOP. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBooker, I think, took a genuine interest in MAHA, but when it comes down to the votes, they have Trump Derangement Syndrome,\u201d Galardi said of Democrats. \u201cI think MAHA has its challenges and faces really some tough uphill battles, but I don\u2019t think those will get any easier under Democrats.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Galardi claimed that, by definition, MAHA is incompatible with political liberalism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI just see it more aligned with conservative thinking,\u201d she said. \u201cThe natural order, food is medicine, no foreign substances in our body, no controlling of Mother Nature.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chief among the tensions for Democrats courting MAHA voters is the Left\u2019s ire toward Kennedy, a former Democrat who is now an independent. Kennedy has riled Democrats by questioning the effectiveness of vaccines, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >firing federal health workers<\/a>, and expressing skepticism about the scientific establishment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAny candidate that comes forward and stands up for the health and safety of our children is very likely going to earn the vote of the American people, and that could be Democrats, or they could be Republicans,\u201d said Zen Honeycutt, the founder and executive director of Moms Across America. \u201cNow this is a very tricky election because the Democrats have threatened to impeach Trump and Kennedy, so there is a major movement from the MAHA movement to maintain a Republican majority in the House so that that does not happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Democrats can prove they are willing to work with Kennedy and take action on pesticides, that could help make inroads with MAHA voters. But another core principle of the movement could complicate issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThey have to stop mandating vaccines,\u201d Honeycutt said. \u201cThere\u2019s not a single MAHA voter that\u2019s going to support a candidate that\u2019s pushing vaccine mandates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic strategist Randy Jones conceded that party members need to address past messaging failures to a public increasingly skeptical of the medical and scientific community. But he stressed the importance of honesty and credibility, especially when dealing with health policy and vaccines, in reaching MAHA voters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI absolutely think we need to have dialogue with those voters, but I think in doing so we need to point out the lies,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWe need to point out the fact that MAGA and MAHA are doing everything they can to limit scientific and medical advancement in this country through DOGE cuts and in other ways.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4578894\/tobacco-industry-money-causes-maha-maga-rift\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4578894\/tobacco-industry-money-causes-maha-maga-rift\/\"><strong>TOBACCO INDUSTRY MONEY CAUSES MAHA-MAGA RIFT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Democratic Party has struggled to rebuild its image after the 2024 election, as polling has shown voters view the party as weak and believe it has gone too far left.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe lost because of a math problem. We have to win people back to take back Congress and take back the White House,\u201d Jones said. \u201cBut I think when we do that, we need to continue to be the party of science, the party of advancement, and the party of being honest with voters about their health and health policy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ahead of November midterms, Democrats aim to win over MAHA voters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2606403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25028838083237.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[3685,34541,16409,35480],"class_list":["post-2606402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats","tag-election-strategy","tag-messaging","tag-voter-outreach"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/AP25028838083237.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2606402"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2606406,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2606402\/revisions\/2606406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2606403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2606402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2606402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2606402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}