The poll conducted by Data for Progress for RFK Jr. Watch, a project of 314 Action, shows MAHA agenda is politically risky, creates opening for Democrats
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — A new national survey finds that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a political liability for the GOP, with voters turning against him and candidates aligned with his agenda, as they learn more about his record. The poll, conducted by Data for Progress for RFK Jr. Watch, a project of 314 Action, shows that support for the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement is soft, with one in three voters outright opposing it and most voters overwhelmingly preferring candidates with backgrounds in science or medicine by a margin of nearly 6-to-1 over those aligned with MAHA.
“RFK Jr. is a political liability, especially in swing districts. Voters want better public health outcomes, but when they learn about the administration’s health care cuts and RFK Jr.’s actions as HHS Secretary—support for him and candidates aligned with the MAHA agenda collapses,” said 314 Action Executive Director Erik Polyak. “This is a losing argument for Republicans in the midterms, and a clear opportunity for Democrats to focus on science, affordability, and real health care solutions. When voters are given a clear choice, candidates with a background in science beat MAHA-aligned candidates by nearly six to one.”
The findings suggest that aligning with RFK Jr. and the MAHA agenda may carry political risk for Republican candidates, particularly in competitive districts. RFK Jr.’s favorability sharply declines among Independents (-17) and “soft MAHA” voters (-18) after learning about his record. Sensing their vulnerability, Republicans have been intensifying efforts to shore up support with MAHA voters, including sending RFK Jr. to tour across the country in support of the Trump administration’s health policies.
The survey shows that candidates can effectively counter these efforts by tying Republican candidates to the Trump administration’s cuts to Medicaid and medical research, two of the most persuasive critiques tested. Messages focused on health care costs and standing up to Big Pharma are particularly effective in reducing support for RFK Jr. and MAHA-aligned Republican candidates.
“The more voters learn about RFK Jr., the less they like him, especially in swing districts,” said Evangel Penumaka, Polling Principal and Research Director at Data for Progress. “MAHA’s support is broad but shallow, and it collapses when voters hear about the real-world impacts of these policies, particularly on health care costs, research funding, and access to care.”
The survey also looked at attitudes towards vaccination. It finds that RFK Jr.’s efforts to change childhood vaccine guidelines are not resonating, with more than 70% of voters saying they support requiring routine childhood vaccines for public schools, and that they would be more likely to support a candidate who supports this policy, underscoring that attacks on vaccine guidance may be out of step with the electorate.
The poll was conducted from March 5 to 12, 2026. It surveyed 2,350 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. This sample is also weighted to account for oversamples of self-identified Independents and swing districts voters with unweighted Ns of 1,121 and 499, respectively, to ensure proportional representation of likely voters.
Read the polling memo.
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314 Action: 314 Action Fund is the only national organization working to recruit, train and elect Democratic scientists across all levels of government and has led the charge to hold RFK Jr. accountable since his nomination. 314 Action was the first to oppose his confirmation last year, launching RFK Jr. Watchas part of a seven-figure accountability pressure campaign to stop RFK Jr. in his tracks.
Data for Progress: Data for Progress (DFP) is a multidisciplinary group of data experts that measures — and moves — public opinion by equipping the progressive movement with the insights it needs to win. Led by a team of experts, DFP offers high-quality, affordable polling in every corner of the country, message testing and focus groups on complex issues, and in-depth, victory-minded analysis. An independent analysis of polling conducted between 2016 and 2024 by the data journalist G. Elliott Morris found that DFP was among the pollsters with the lowest level of statistical bias. Learn more atdataforprogress.org. Follow DFP on X at @dataprogress and on Bluesky at @dataforprogress.org.