By Liz Essley Whyte | Photography by Emily Rose Bennett for WSJ
CHARLOTTE, Mich. -- Freshman Republican Rep. Tom Barrett, one of Democrats' top targets in the midterm elections this fall, is looking for all the help he can get to win a second term and help the GOP hold its House majority.
Enter Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The Department of Health and Human Services secretary swung through Michigan this week, lending some of his star power to vulnerable Republicans on the campaign trail, including Barrett. At a visit to an apple orchard alongside Barrett, Kennedy was pitching the benefits of healthy eating to about 130 Michiganders, touting his revamped dietary guidelines and telling the crowd to reconnect with the "sacred ritual" of cooking.
"If you are obese or overweight, it's not your fault," Kennedy said at the event in Charlotte, a small, central Michigan town of about 9,000. "It's because the government has been lying to you for 50 years."
The panel, hosted by the conservative nonprofit America First Policy Institute, was interrupted by two audience members who shouted questions about healthcare costs before being escorted out by security.
"What about affordable healthcare?" asked one. "Did you not cut $790 billion last year?"
Kennedy praised Trump's efforts to negotiate lower prices with drugmakers and called the Medicaid cuts referenced by the questioner a "myth."
Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year slashed more than $1 trillion in expected healthcare spending over the next decade, mostly from Medicaid. But spending on Medicaid is still projected to rise in coming years because of rising healthcare costs and other factors.
That moment, and others on the three-day Michigan trip, laid bare a central dilemma for Republicans this year: frustration with persistent inflation and other cost-of-living concerns is so top of mind for voters that it risks overshadowing the agenda Kennedy and other Trump allies want to tout.
An April poll by KFF, a health policy research nonprofit , found that parts of Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" message are very popular -- with 75% favoring more regulation of chemical food additives. But the survey also found healthcare costs outweigh food and vaccines as concerns that resonate with voters when considering whether to support a candidate.
Collin Garn, 28, opened a meat shop last year in Charlotte with his family, selling locally grown, hormone-free pork and beef. Garn, who considers himself politically independent, said he's a fan of Kennedy and likes what he's doing in Washington.
Garn said he plans to vote for Barrett because he has met him and has a personal connection to him, but he isn't likely to vote for other Republicans this fall because of his disenchantment with the Trump administration. Michigan also has competitive Senate and gubernatorial races this year.
"A lot of guys my age are not interested in going to war for Iran," he said. "People my age can't afford housing. People are struggling just to pay their student loans. Like, I just wish he was more focused on putting Americans first."
Kennedy's travel -- branded as his "Take Back Your Health" tour -- is part of the White House's effort to get President Trump's cabinet secretaries out of Washington to talk up the administration's agenda ahead of November, when Democrats sense an opportunity to flip the House and maybe even the Senate.
Kennedy's Michigan trip followed others in Wisconsin, Ohio and Colorado, and was billed as a series of site visits and policy events -- a move meant to ensure the secretary doesn't run afoul of the Hatch Act, a federal law that bans partisan political activity by certain government employees. But at many of his appearances during the tour, he has been joined by GOP congressional candidates.
The president's team wants to see him talking up the popular parts of the MAHA agenda, such as healthy eating, while avoiding drifting into more politically murky territory such as vaccine skepticism.
Democrats should aim to tie concerns about healthcare costs to Kennedy and remind voters about his vaccine changes and research cuts, said Erik Polyak, executive director of 314 Action, a group working to elect Democrats with messages about science and public health. "There's this narrative out there that he's this unique asset for Republicans, but we think that's totally backwards," he said. "RFK Jr. is a political liability for Republicans, full stop."
Mary DeBord, a 90-year-old Charlotte resident, said she used to vote Republican but doesn't plan to vote for Barrett. She said she dislikes both Trump and Kennedy. "He's against vaccinations," she said of the secretary. "People died from all these plagues of disease until they started vaccinating kids."
Tony Lyons, who leads several entities supporting Kennedy's agenda, said Americans are enthusiastic about Kennedy's focus on chronic disease, food and restoring trust in public health.
Kennedy on Thursday toured a nutrition nonprofit's greenhouse and farm in Holland, Mich., touting his food priorities. "We're changing the way that Americans eat," Kennedy said.
He appeared with Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga, whose western Michigan district has grown more competitive. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the district as "lean Republican" after previously rating it "likely Republican."
At the Holland farm, and at a Wednesday stop in Clinton Township, Mich., announcing new grant opportunities for addiction services, Kennedy faced questions from local reporters about healthcare costs.
The secretary said only ineligible people would lose Medicaid under the Republican-backed changes last year and emphasized the Trump administration's efforts to fight chronic disease. "The administration has completely changed the approach to public health in this country, and it's a message that we want to get out to everybody," he said.
Michael Metzelaars, 69, a semiretired salesman and softball coach in Holland, said he plans to vote for Huizenga and other Republicans. He favors Kennedy's food agenda, though he worries the health secretary may be going too far on vaccines. "You got too many obese people eating absolute crap," he said.
The Michigan events were often highly choreographed and offered few chances for spontaneous interactions with voters.
Mandi Persons, an Olivet, Mich., resident who said she lost 130 pounds by switching to a healthier diet, attended in Charlotte and expressed surprise that the event was small yet so impersonal.
"I was hoping we'd get to see RFK up close," she said. "I wanted a picture with him, dang it."
Write to Liz Essley Whyte at liz.whyte@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
June 19, 2026 14:00 ET (18:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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