GOP, use MAHA or lose it

By Tony Lyons, Publisher of Skyhorse Publishing and President of MAHA Action

[Republished with permission of the The Baltimore Sun, where it recently appeared.]

This month’s elections were a wake-up call for Republicans. The party needs to continue prioritizing the populist coalition that President Donald Trump built in 2024, or the 2026 midterm election will be a bloodbath.

A major part of that winning populist coalition is the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. As Jack Posobiec said on X early this year and re-upped following the elections, “MAHA is the most popular movement in America today.” Embracing and owning the MAHA movement is critical to completing President Trump’s mission. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. helped earn Trump the most votes for a Republican candidate in American history. At least 4-6% of former non-Trump voters cited MAHA in explaining their decision to switch their support to him in 2024.

Congressional Republicans need to understand that just like the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement was eight years ago, MAHA is a once-in-a-generation political gift to the GOP. It promises to continue to expand the Republican base and help the GOP win future elections — especially in the midterms.

But Republicans need to decide to accept that incredible gift. The party is currently just renting MAHA voters. Party leaders haven’t decided to purchase them yet. So, MAHA’s message to the GOP right now is this: Buy into the MAHA movement, as President Trump has done so wholeheartedly. It’s an important part of the president’s legacy, and Republicans who get on board will also be rewarded politically.

The MAHA agenda was missing from the central themes of the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races. In Virginia, Winsome Earle-Sears never mentioned MAHA once. In New Jersey, Jack Ciattarelli publicly supported the principles of informed consent and expressed that he understood the mandate Republicans have to embrace MAHA, but in the end did not make MAHA a central theme in his campaign. They both missed the opportunity to use MAHA, and it cost them.

They must not have realized the size and strength of the MAHA movement. Currently, eight in 10 MAGA Republican parents (81%) identify with the MAHA movement. One-third of independent parents (34%) identify with the movement. And, surprisingly, one-fifth of Democratic parents self-identify as MAHA. With the historic cultural transformations taking place, more and more Democratic parents will move toward MAHA and are persuadable midterm voters.

But that’s just the slogan. Cutting deeper, the Center for Excellence in Polling published data that shows there’s strong support for MAHA policies: 95% of Americans want fresh fruits and vegetables with every school lunch; 96% support warning labels on foods with high levels of chemicals; 93% say bureaucrats should disclose ties with drug and food companies; 88% want clinical proof of COVID booster efficacy before the FDA approves; and 69% support banning junk food purchases like soda and candy through food stamps.

The Trump administration is hard at work achieving historic MAHA wins, wins that are largely ignored by the media, but not by voters. Just look at what Secretary Kennedy and his team are doing to advance the agenda. They’ve launched Operation Stork Speed, which promises to make infant formula safe and nutritious. They’re convincing companies to remove petroleum-based food dyes from America’s food and medications by approving naturally sourced colors. They’re closing the “Generally Recognized As Safe” loophole that allowed untested ingredients and chemicals into the food supply. They’re working to find the root causes of autism and restoring trust in vaccine safety. They’re updating the dietary guidelines. They’re working with USDA to reform SNAP and publishing conflicts of interest of those serving on advisory committees. There’s more to come, too, as outlined in the MAHA Strategy Report published by the White House.

While some congressional Republicans have organized MAHA caucuses and are actively trying to work toward the goals of MAHA, many Republicans in Congress have done little to show alignment with Secretary Kennedy and his team at the Department of Health and Human Services. In fact, some have actively distracted the secretary from his goals by selling out to Big Pharma and the processed food lobbies.

These Republicans who still reject the MAHA movement, who reject American children and all Americans’ health in favor of corrupt corporate donors, do so at their peril. They will likely suffer the fate of former GOP leaders like Paul Ryan and Liz Cheney, who failed to respond to the needs of their constituents, refusing to embrace MAGA movement policies on trade, immigration and foreign policy. Just as the GOP had to adapt to keep MAGA voters in its coalition, it now needs to adapt to keep the massive block of MAHA voters in its coalition.

If Republicans fail to step up, Democrats will undoubtedly position themselves to appeal to MAHA voters. We see Gov. Gavin Newsom, a 2028 frontrunner, issuing executive orders to crack down on ultra-processed foods and investigate food dyes. He never did this before, and it’s clear why he’s doing it now. The GOP must divorce itself from the corruption of corporate donors who are poisoning the American public. As Mike Cernovich wrote on X: “The generational coalition of 2024 was Trump on the ballot, MAHA and Elon’s money…”

Congressional Republicans have an urgent choice to make. Repeat November 2025 or embrace MAHA and accept, build and benefit from the second populist movement that President Trump has gifted to Americans. Receive this gift, and you will achieve a historic win in November 2026. And, of course, take some well-deserved credit for Making Americans Healthy Again, especially our children.

Tony Lyons is the publisher of Skyhorse Publishing and president of MAHA Action.