Politics

Democrats can’t afford to laugh off RFK Jr.’s biggest appeal to voters

Published

2 years ago

November 12, 2024

Democrats can’t afford to laugh off RFK Jr.’s biggest appeal to voters

In the days since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspended his presidential campaign and endorsed Donald Trump, the former candidate has promised to provoke a “realignment” of environmental politics. While criticizing Democrats for “divisive” climate policies, Kennedy has made the case for environmental policies that could, he believes, “unite the nation,” including a focus on clean air and water, restoring the health of soils, and removing plastics, pesticides and toxic chemicals from supply chains.

There’s one problem with Kennedy’s vision for an environmental realignment: It rests on the electoral vehicle of Trump.

Recently, Kennedy won a vigorous endorsement for this so-called “Make America Healthy Again” agenda from Tucker Carlson in an interview that went viral last week. But there’s one problem with Kennedy’s vision for an environmental realignment: It rests on the electoral vehicle of Trump, who as president appointed profiteers from the plastics industry and Big Agriculture to key roles responsible for food and water safety, gave lobbyists from chemical companies a wish list of concessions, appointed Supreme Court justices who gutted government authority to regulate toxic substances, and now promises to cut government watchdogs and remove “forever chemicals” like PFAS from hazardous substance lists. And that’s to say nothing of his legacy on climate.

It’s easy enough for Democrats to laugh off Kennedy’s comments. Instead, they should make a serious play for his voters.

There’s a clear electoral case for doing so. While Kennedy’s support fell to roughly 5% in three-way matchups nationally after Vice President Kamala Harris entered the race, there was widespread evidencethat the third-party candidate was pulling more from Harris than from Trump. Although it’s hard to forecastwhether Kennedy will be able to persuade his supporters to vote for the Republican, even a single percentage point could be decisive in an election as close as this one. Look at Florida in 2000. Or any of the “blue wall” states in 2016.

Yet, there’s more at play here than swing state electoral math. Kennedy is seeking to give the Republicans something they haven’t had since the Nixon era: a way to claim the mantle of environmentalism. In an age of widespread distrust of big institutions, Kennedy is arguing that Americans can support the environment without supporting big-government climate policies. He is speaking directly to now-substantial wellness-focused demographic subgroups — organic moms, natural parenting advocates, fitness bros — who prioritize clean food, air and water but, especially since the pandemic, are leery of federal agencies and government authority.

So how should Democrats make the case to these voters?

Tell the truth. Drive home the message that Trump is the candidate of toxic chemicals.

While Trump has tried to distance himself from the Project 2025 blueprint, the key environment plans in the document were written by Trump appointees and match with his own promises to gut the “administrative state.” Project 2025 would remove the “hazardous substances” designation of PFAS chemicals — perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl as well as related “forever chemicals.” Federal watchdogs finalized the classification of these substances in April, drawing on evidence that they present a serious threat to human health, including a range of cancers, cardiovascular disease, liver issues and fetal development issues. Extensive research demonstrates that such chemicals damage the functioning of the endocrine system and undercutmen’s testosterone and fertility levels, a fact that should concern Trump’s macho base. Project 2025 plans from Trump advisers moreover seek to eliminate the government’s authority to track Americans’ cumulative exposure to a wide range of toxic chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Acta key defense against virtually all the toxic chemicals that Kennedy warns against.

Extensive research demonstrates that such chemicals damage the functioning of the endocrine system and undercut men’s testosterone and fertility levels, a fact that should concern Trump’s macho base.

To win would-be RFK Jr. voters, Democrats should also propose a proactive agenda on these issues. The Biden administration recently announceda new program to reduce single-use plastics in federal government operations, enhance plastics cleanup, strengthen regulations on toxic emissions from plastics, and modernize plastics recycling infrastructure. But Harris can go further. Her campaign should unveil a more comprehensive plan to counter PFAS and forever chemicals in the food system and supply chains.

Blockbuster reportingin The New York Times last week revealed how toxic sewage sludge with extremely high levels of PFAS and “forever chemicals” is being used to fertilize roughly 70 million acres of U.S. farmland and has been implicated in the deaths of livestock, not to mention untold risks to human health. The Times reported that the EPA has encouraged the use of these recycled biosoils in order to reduce the use of fertilizers made from fossil fuels. Harris could demonstrate her commitment to addressing toxic chemical threats and, in so doing, make a play for RFK Jr. voters by taking a stand to ensure that the government agencies no longer promote the use of such recycled fertilizers.

Trump — who recently promised the oil industrythat he would do anything it wants in exchange for a billion dollars for his campaign — has clear reasons to be beholden to the petrochemical industry as well as Big Ag and manufacturers of ultraprocessed foods. But Harris can and should welcome a fight with these interest groups.

In his interviewwith Carlson, Kennedy passionately declared that “the reason we protect the environment is because there’s a spiritual connection … there’s a love that we have. Our connection to the fish and the birds and the whales and the purple mountains majesty.” This, he argued, is what animated his campaign.

To seize an electoral opportunity, Democrats need to press the case: a vote for Trump is no way to express your love and commitment to Mother Nature.

Justin Talbot Zorn

Justin Talbot Zorn is senior adviser at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., a former senior congressional staffer, and author of a book on the politics of mindfulness. He’s written for the Washington Post,LA Times, New Republic, TIMEand other publications.

Politics

‘We are winning elections’: Bernie Sanders on Democrats’ progressive wing

Published

22 hours ago

September 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

‘We are winning elections’: Bernie Sanders on Democrats’ progressive wing

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Politics

Trump wants the Postal Service to radically overhaul mail voting. But ballots are already going out.

Published

3 days ago

September 4, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

President Donald Trump’s controversial demands for the Postal Service to overhaul and monitor millions of mail ballots hit another snag on Friday, when North Carolina became the first state in the nation to start sending out ballots for the November election.

In March, Trump signed the initial executive order, which aimed to crack down on mail-in voting — which he regularly alleges without evidence is a vector for widespread voter fraud — and assert an unprecedented amount of federal control over the upcoming elections.

Under this order and the subsequent rule drafted by the U.S. Postal Service, the USPS would refuse to deliver ballots to states that failed to provide lists of eligible mail voters or did not adhere to an approved envelope design style.

Since then, the order has faced legal challenges, and it remains paused by a federal judge’s orders. But the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow the new rule to proceed — something current and former election officials from both parties say would be both a legal nightmare that oversteps the federal government’s traditional role in elections and a logistical one that is happening far too close to the November election to implement even if they agreed with it.

“Why the hell are you rocking the boat this late in the game?” said Stephen Richer, a former Republican recorder of Maricopa County, Arizona, who has clashed with Trump allies for defending the security of the 2020 election.

Still, election officials are trying to project a sense of normalcy for voters, particularly in North Carolina, which serves as a test of whether established local election systems can operate normally amid intensifying federal scrutiny.

“I want to emphasize this point because there has been a lot of outside noise: Our county workers are ready,” Sam Hayes, a longtime Republican lawyer in the state and now executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said in a Thursday afternoon press conference.

He added, “All we can do is what we’re doing. … It is business as usual as far as I’m concerned.”

Despite the legal challenges, the Trump administration has continued to press the courts to let it proceed. The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to lift an order from a Massachusetts judge which temporarily prevents the USPS from enforcing their rule. It is the second time the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to step in, after winning an earlier victory in which the high court dismissed an earlier hold on the rule as premature.

“The uncertainty is coming from a single activist judge who continues to try and obstruct President Trump from implementing commonsense measures to protect the security of mail-in ballots and ensure only Americans vote in American elections,” White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement. “These safeguards for mail ballots were proposed months ago giving election officials ample time to prepare for the 2026 election.”

The USPS did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Election officials said that if the rule goes into effect this close to November, it would cause chaos and place added strain on the USPS and election officials. And an anonymous federal whistleblower said in a report circulated earlier this week by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) that the USPS was moving forward in a “secretive, rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed process” to try to implement the new system ahead of the midterms.

In the coming weeks, states across the country will follow North Carolina’s lead. Nine other states will begin mailing ballots in the next two weeks, according to a tracker from the National Conference of State Legislatures — with the biggest day for mailing coming 45 days before the election in mid-September.

“It would be so outrageous to try to let this go into effect. It’s hard to even imagine,” said Ben Hovland, a senior fellow for democracy at the progressive think tank Center for American Progress and former Democratic commissioner with the Election Assistance Commission who was fired by Trump in July.

He added, “It would be a break-glass moment for our democracy.”

The rule would require meticulous changes to ballot handling and tracking practices that Hovland said are impossible to implement before Election Day in about two months, effectively disenfranchising millions of voters.

“Ballots are printed. Envelopes are printed. You can go on and on with all the practical reasons that show that implementing something like this at this time is not feasible,” he said.

Richer said he doubted the new rules would bring about more security. Even if the USPS received lists from the states, according to the postal service’s final rule, it would not do any additional vetting of the list, Richer said.

“It’s just that the mail ballots have to be on that list, and I don’t see what added value for election integrity that does,” he said.

He added, “It creates a lot of administrative burden, and I think it creates a lot more opportunity for error.”

While a decision looms in the courts, election officials and experts cast doubt on the likelihood of the rules going into effect before November. A more pressing issue, they said, is the confusion and uncertainty surrounding mail-in ballots, which could subvert and change the behaviors of voters.

“It makes things seem messy or difficult, and it can dissuade people from participating or coming out to vote,” Hovland said. “It certainly also helps establish a pretext to make bad faith claims about election results.”

Hovland said that while none of these claims of voter fraud are backed up with facts, they could cause Americans to lose faith in the voting process.

Still, some current officials contended they were well-prepared for whatever happens — and that they’d be able to communicate effectively with voters who have become increasingly buffeted by dramatic rhetoric about the once-unmentioned nuts and bolts of actually running an election.

“There’s always a lot of noise around elections, that’s not going to change, and it can be hard to differentiate that from what’s actually going on on the ground,” said Jason Tyson, director of external affairs for the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

As Election Day approaches, Tyson and election officials said they urge voters to check their registration status and make a plan to vote.

He added, “I think we’ve got a really well-trained, solid staff who are ready, and who have gone through all of the checks and balances and points of contact that we need to do to get to where we are.”

Politics

Missouri Supreme Court pauses GOP gerrymander, likely netting Democrats 1 House seat

Published

3 days ago

September 3, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Missouri’s Supreme Court suspended a congressional map that state Republicans drew last year that would have netted the GOP an additional House seat, likely keeping the seat in Democratic hands this November.

The court ruled unanimously on Thursday that a referendum petition organized by Democrats to put the new congressional maps to a vote was incorrectly deemed insufficient by Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, and ordered that the gerrymandered map be put to a vote in the fall.

Voters will ultimately decide the fate of the new lines in November. But in the meantime, it cannot be in place for the midterms, meaning Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s original Kansas City-based district will likely stay in Democrats’ hands this fall.