MAHA group begins state election endorsements
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MAHA Action, a political advocacy group dedicated to advancing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s agenda, made its first state-level election endorsement last week by wading into a key farm state's gubernatorial race.
Why it matters: The group is branching out to state politics while top Republicans rally the wide-ranging MAHA coalition to prevent control of the House from flipping in the midterms.
Driving the news: MAHA Action is endorsing Republican candidate Zach Lahn in the crowded 2026 Iowa gubernatorial race.
- Lahn is positioning himself as a Trump-aligned populist and socially conservative candidate. He runs a firm that invests in agriculture, real estate and technology, per the Des Moines Register.
- MAHA Action is led by Kennedy backer Tony Lyons, who also runs the MAHA PAC.
What they're saying: "Zach has seen the harms of pesticides up close like many in the [Make America Healthy Again] family, with his own father facing those consequences," MAHA Action wrote on X.
- "He is stepping forward to take on the corporate interests that treat Iowa as an annuity, push young farmers off the land, inflate rental rates, and dominate the seed and fertilizer markets."
- MAHA Action also called Lahn a "steadfast champion of personal health freedom" who is against government and corporate influence in medicine.
- MAHA Action and Lahn did not respond to questions from Axios.
Where it stands: Lahn doesn't mention vaccines on his website but he posted on X applauding a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee's recent controversial decision to roll back a recommendation that all newborns get vaccinated against hepatitis B.
- Lahn's website also says he would outlaw gender-affirming surgeries and medication in Iowa if elected.
Reality check: The GOP field for Iowa's next governor is crowded — Lahn is one of five candidates gunning for the nomination.
Zoom out: Kennedy's medical freedom and anti-corporate agenda has already started to take root in state legislatures.
