MAHA brand helps some candidates win GOP primaries

Driving the news: Businessman Zach Lahn defeated Trump-backed Rep. Randy Feenstra in Iowa's Republican gubernatorial primary last week after vowing to take on big agriculture and pharmaceutical interests.

• Lahn was the first state-level candidate to earn the endorsement of MAHA Action, a group dedicated to advancing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s agenda and run by publisher Tony Lyons.

Elsewhere, Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) led last month's Louisiana Senate primary that included incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, advancing to a runoff against state Treasurer John Fleming with endorsements from both MAHA Action and President Trump.

• She embraced MAHA rhetoric about a broken health system and her state's chronic disease burden while portraying the movement as "not just a slogan."
• And in Ohio, former state Rep. Jay Edwards won a close primary race for state treasurer after touching on themes of health freedom and fighting for "real science." He's endorsed by the MAHA Institute, as well as Vice President JD Vance.

Lahn credited the MAHA seal of approval for helping him win his race with Feenstra.

• "We had a giant win for the MAHA movement ... I'm going to keep running on these exact issues" in the general election, Lahn said on a call organized by MAHA Action.
• The MAHA PAC sent text messages to some 350,000 likely GOP voters touting Lahn and made hundreds of thousands of calls before the election.
• Video advertising from the PAC accused Feenstra of "taking contributions from Pfizer, drug companies, the insurance lobby and out-of-state political action committees," per a release.

Between the lines: Kennedy has been making campaign-style appearances with House Republican incumbents as part of a "Take Back Your Health" tour built around issues that include strengthening the food supply, improving public health and combating addiction.

• But they've come amid a widening MAGA-MAHA rift in Washington over issues like production of the pesticide glyphosate and regulation of "forever chemicals."
• The White House has also curbed Kennedy's autonomy in recent months and shaken up his leadership team as it tries to pivot away from controversies over issues like vaccines and emphasize priorities like lowering drug prices.

What they're saying: The MAHA movement is maturing into a position where many core tenets will have champions for years to come, "which gives it staying power even with the ebb and flow of executive branch influence," said David Mansdoerfer, a health official during Trump's first term.

Reality check: Advocacy groups aligned with the MAHA movement have not endorsed many candidates in competitive congressional races, even as the GOP vies to keep control of the House of Representatives in the midterms.

• Recent KFF polling has shown health costs are a bigger motivator and higher priority among movement supporters than issues like food additives and pesticide concerns.
• MAHA leaders also don't appear ready to break with the administration, despite mounting policy differences.
• "Thanks to the courage and leadership of President Trump and Secretary Kennedy, the MAHA movement is alive and strong," MAHA Action's Lyons said on a call after the Iowa primary.

What we're watching: More MAHA primary wins could boost Kennedy's influence with the White House — or embolden him to mount a 2028 presidential bid, though he's said he has no such plans.

• But the movement largely built around vaccine skepticism and taking on the medical establishment could also be peaking, if voters conclude Kennedy is better at getting attention than affecting real change.