July 31 2026 - 12:30pm
Ask two people what MAHA stands for and you’ll get three answers. It is a movement so disparate that even its own supporters don’t always agree on the priorities. But as MAHA’s alliance with MAGA continues to fray, some Democrats appear to be sensing an opportunity. Here’s what Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said yesterday: “I actually met with MAHA activists because a lot of them really don’t believe that their fight is partisan — and it’s not. We do have extraordinary corruption in our agricultural system and in our big corporate system as well. This is an area where both parties in our entire political system have been compromised.”
AOC is not the first Democrat to make positive noises about the MAHA movement. Earlier this year, Sen. Cory Booker told Axios that he “absolutely” supports some of Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s initiatives. These include more testing of infant formula for microplastics and a push for healthier foods in schools. Booker also introduced legislation earlier this year, along with other Democrats, to overturn Donald Trump’s glyphosate executive order. All of which suggests that some Democrats believe they can peel away voters who helped deliver Trump’s 2024 victory.
Could the Democrats wrest control of the MAHA movement away from the Republican Party? It may seem like a tall order. Roughly 5% of non-Trump voters supported the now-President in the 2024 election because of his backing for MAHA. At the time, many on the Left dismissed the movement and its figurehead, RFK Jr, as cranks and science-deniers. Meanwhile, Anthony Fauci’s testimony in DC this week has reignited Covid-era battles between Republicans and Democrats over lockdowns and vaccine efficacy.
But frustration with MAGA is growing among MAHA supporters. Anger over the Trump administration’s decision to expand glyphosate production and roll back regulations on harmful chemicals is driving a wedge between the two movements. On top of that, the President is pressuring his HHS Secretary to cut back on childhood vaccines, an issue that polls poorly with most Americans. With four months to go until the midterms, this may lead to some unwanted headlines. Given that as many as four in 10 US adults say they support MAHA, Democrats could swoop in with a new kind of message: one that emphasizes healthy food, fewer toxins and anti-corruption — while steering clear of vaccines and 5G towers.
This sort of MAHA-lite platform could be a political sweet spot for Democrats, but it hinges on one big question: whether the party can get out of its own way. Democrats are still trying — and failing — to shake off their schoolmarm image, and any explicit outreach to the MAHA community could quickly spiral into purity tests over vaccines and past support for Trump. As AOC noted in her comments, MAHA voters are not inherently partisan: they are a coalition within another coalition, including a significant number of vaccine skeptics.
If Democrats are serious about winning over voters in this group, they will need to focus on the movement’s popular concerns without getting bogged down by its more controversial elements. That may be too much to ask from a party still struggling to agree on its own basic priorities, let alone embrace the messy contradictions of MAHA.
