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Some Democrats are making a play for segments of the "Make America Healthy Again" base, hoping pitches about food safety and environmental health will attract voters disillusioned with the Trump administration's lack of progress on those fronts. Why it matters: Policies around cleaning up the food supply and agricultural practices helped forge a coalition that's credited with helping President Trump win a second term. But disagreements over issues like pesticide use are fueling speculation that MAHA voters may not show up in force to help Republicans in the midterm elections — and may be persuaded to put their faith in Democrats instead. Driving the news: Some Democrats say they're the party better positioned to take on established interests through regulation and are honing messaging with an eye toward the 2028 presidential race. The Center for American Progress, an influential progressive think tank, recently released a proposal focused on healthier foods and reducing harmful chemicals alongside polling showing Democrats are poised to claim the agenda as their own. "I do think the MAHA grassroots movement has raised the salience of some issues where Democrats have an opportunity to align, particularly on chemicals and pesticides," said Topher Spiro, an author of the CAP report. "I think that these are issues that have been percolating for a long time, and that, frankly, Democrats haven't done a great job of prioritizing." "If you're looking at who are the swing voters in this electoral environment, they overlap very highly with voters who care about these issues," added Becca Siegel, chief insights officer at CAP. Though affordability concerns have dominated the midterm elections, some Democratic lawmakers and candidates have already backed legislation or policy agendas that overlap with MAHA themes. Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed last month released a proposal titled "Building a Healthier America" that included calls for banning certain pesticides — a key unrealized MAHA goal — and healthier school meals. House Democrats' health care working group included a section in its policy agenda called "Reclaiming MAHA and Protecting American Families." Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) — a potential 2028 presidential candidate — has publicly supported some food policies advanced by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and pushed legislation increasing the liability of companies for potential harm from pesticides. By the numbers: CAP's polling found that 37% of Trump voters are open to voting for a Democratic candidate running on a platform that addresses core MAHA issues, and that Democrats are more trusted than Republicans on health, food and environmental issues. Nonpartisan polling from the Annenberg Public Policy Center found that much higher percentages of the public support MAHA-aligned policies than identify as MAHA supporters. 80% of respondents said they support labeling ultra-processed foods, 79% support removing ultra-processed foods from school lunches and 76% support removing artificial dyes from food. That's even though only a quarter said they are MAHA supporters. Yes, but: One prominent MAHA faction is built around medical freedom and questioning the safety of certain vaccines — a nonstarter for many Democrats who've been sharply critical of Kennedy's health policies. But the Annenberg polling found that MAHA vaccine priorities are much less popular than its food agenda, and that even among the faithful, some vaccine agenda items barely have majority support. State of play: The latest blow to the MAHA coalition came last week, when Trump health adviser and MAHA advocate Calley Means resigned from his post, reportedly over the slow pace of food-related policy changes. Means insisted on X that there's been unprecedented policy and cultural change since the start of the second Trump administration and that the "movement is just getting started." But other MAHA leaders have publicly shared their frustration. "To be clear, [Kennedy] is a hero but his commitments to our movement are being stalled by corporate capture and special interests at the very top of the White House," Vani Hari, an influencer also known as Food Babe, posted on X. "The progress he is trying to make is getting killed by the corporations poisoning us," she added. What they're saying: "The Trump administration has already secured extensive victories for the MAHA Agenda, including overhauling the dietary guidelines for Americans, axing artificial ingredients in our food supply and investing in regenerative farming," said White House spokesperson Allison Schuster. "The MAHA coalition has never been stronger or more empowered, and President Trump and Secretary Kennedy will continue to take decisive action to deliver more wins for the American people," Schuster added. "Secretary Kennedy is driving a historic overhaul of federal food and health policy under President Trump's MAHA agenda: strengthening oversight of food ingredients, advancing the first federal definition of ultra-processed foods, and making chronic disease prevention a department-wide priority," said HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard, adding that Democratic lawmakers have "repeatedly opposed or challenged key elements of this agenda." What we're watching: Whatever the outcome of next week's elections, these issues likely aren't going away. Alignment on healthy food policy and pesticides could spark interesting bipartisan collaborations in a split Congress next year. But the run-up to the presidential election could also feature a fight over who would best champion these issues on the left.
document fetched 2026-10-29 03:03 · canonical https://axios.com/2026/10/28/maha-democrats-health-voters-food-pesticides