Democrats run against MAHA platform

Arit John

USA TODAY

As the United States experiences its worst measles outbreak in 35 years, a handful of Democrats are leaning on their backgrounds in medicine and public health to pitch themselves as potential checks on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Richard Pan, a doctor and former state senator running for a California congressional seat, said he’d be well equipped to question Kennedy and other health officials in hearings after he successfully passed two state-level bills Kennedy opposed that tightened exemptions to childhood vaccine rules.

Annie Andrews, a pediatrician running against Sen. Darline Graham, R-South Carolina, said that Kennedy’s confirmation spurred her to run, and she would push for him to be impeached if she wins.

'I talk to veterans and active-duty service members who wake up every day and think about Pete Hegseth and how absurd it is that he is the Secretary of the Department of Defense,' Andrews told USA TODAY. 'The passion that they feel about that is the passion that I feel about RFK Jr. being the Secretary of Health and Human Services.'

They and other candidates are also stressing the importance of vaccines as the Trump administration has renewed its focus on recommendations for childhood immunizations and sought to maintain close relationships with the Make America Healthy Again movement that backed Kennedy’s 2024 presidential run.

In January, the Centers for Disease Control issued narrower advice for which vaccines should be routine. Those changes were paused by a federal judge in March in a case that is ongoing as the administration appeals.

In August, the president signed an executive order presenting his own set of vaccine recommendations that reduced the number of routine vaccines and called for separating the measles, mumps, and rubella shot into three separate vaccines once they are available, which medical groups oppose.

The August order marked a change of course for the administration, which had pulled back from its focus on vaccines amid warnings that it posed a political risk. In August 2025, President Donald Trump’s pollster Tony Fabrizio released a memo stating that there is 'broad unity across party lines' in support of vaccines, including 'sky-high' support among the swing voters who will decide close elections.

While there’s broad support for vaccines, vaccination rates have dropped and polling suggests trust in vaccines has waned. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Sept. 16 found that 76% of Americans believe the MMR vaccine is safe for children, down from 84% who said the same in their May 2020 survey.

Medical experts and organizations such as the American Medical Association have stressed the MMR vaccine is safe, effective and the best defense against measles.

Voters aren’t casting their ballots solely based on a candidate’s stance on vaccines, but the issue has become a signal of a politician’s broader approach to politics, said Matthew Motta, an associate professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health.

'Vaccines are becoming a symbolic issue, a way of saying ‘I will stand up to the – for lack of a better word – chaos that this administration is implementing on things that you thought were untouchable, sacred consensus issues,' he said.

Erik Polyak, the executive director of 314 Action, which recruits candidates with science backgrounds, said their picks – including Michigan Senate Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed, a medical doctor and public health administrator, and Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton, a doctor and former head of the state health department – plan to subpoena records, hold hearings and investigate HHS if elected.

In Iowa, Rob Sand, the state auditor and Democratic nominee for governor, released an ad on Sept. 18 saying that his opponent, Zach Lahn, wants to 'ban some lifesaving cancer treatments.' Lahn, a farmer and businessman, won the Republican gubernatorial primary and defeated a Trump-backed opponent with the endorsement of MAHA Action, the main political action committee backing Kennedy-aligned Make America Healthy Again candidates.

Lahn said during a January 2026 primary debate that he supports banning vaccines developed using mRNA technology, such as the Pfizer COVID shot. Medical professionals believe mRNA research could eventually lead to treatments for diseases like cancer.

Lahn’s campaign said in a statement that he 'will not ban cancer treatments, or ban all MRNA vaccines' but he has 'discussed pulling the COVID shot from the market.'

In Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo have said they want to end all vaccine mandates in the state. Ladapo signed an August proposal to end school immunization mandates for four diseases, including those for chicken pox and Hepatitis B, and make it easier for parents to opt out of other vaccines due to 'moral and ethical beliefs.' Other vaccine requirements, such as the one for measles inoculation, can only be changed through legislation.

David Jolly, the Democratic nominee for governor, has slammed the effort on the campaign trail and told the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, that he would fire Ladapo on his first day in office.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Florida, the GOP gubernatorial nominee in his state, said he agreed with DeSantis and Ladapo’s push to end the four vaccine mandates. Asked whether he would seek legislation to roll back other vaccine mandates, Donalds told CBS News’ 'Face the Nation' that 'those are things we want to make sure we study and really engage in before we make those determinations.'

Donalds was asked whether he would recommend Floridians vaccinate their kids against measles, given that much of the state has fallen below the 95% rate necessary for herd immunity.

'No, actually, my message to Floridians and, quite frankly, to Americans is the reason why we have seen a measles outbreak in certain parts of the country is because of rampant illegal immigration into the United States from the previous administration,' Donalds said.

Experts have attributed increased measles transmission in the United States to declining vaccination rates, particularly in close-knit communities with low immunization records where outbreaks have been concentrated.

Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has received backlash for the rise in measles cases, which critics say is due to low vaccination rates.

Kylie Cooper/REUTERS