That\u2019s not to suggest either nominee \u2014 both of whom very publicly left the Democratic Party \u2014 will get a free pass during the confirmation process. Republicans have promised tough questions for Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, over his position on abortion rights and anti-vaccine views. And Gabbard, Trump\u2019s pick to be director of national intelligence, is sure to face questions about prior meetings with (now former) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and her positioning on national surveillance.<\/p>\n

Yet despite those potential roadblocks, Republicans largely seem unfazed by Kennedy and Gabbard\u2019s fairly recent support for mainstream Democratic policies in areas as diverse as climate change, raising the minimum wage and stricter regulation of big banks.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re focused on today. I can\u2019t explain what happened four years ago,\u201d said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), who\u2019s supporting Kennedy for the health perch after meeting with him.<\/p>\n

Kennedy started out his 2024 campaign in the Democratic primary against President Joe Biden before switching to an independent bid, while Gabbard was one in a crowded field of Democratic contenders in 2020. Both have begun making the rounds with Republicans on Capitol Hill \u2014 Gabbard started with defense hawks<\/a> while Kennedy Jr. is flooding the zone this week with GOP lawmaker meetings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are the president’s nominees and he has full trust and faith in them regardless of their party,\u201d said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), a member of Senate leadership. \u201cHaving voices that are not exclusively Republicans is probably a good idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, some GOP senators are vowing to press the nominees for answers on their political evolutions through the confirmation process.<\/p>\n

\u201cTypically, there are policy differences that distinguish the political parties and so changing horses like this makes me wonder where people are coming from,\u201d Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Blue Light News.<\/p>\n

Without any Democratic votes, Kennedy or Gabbard could only afford three GOP defections to get confirmed \u2014 and only then with Vice President-elect JD Vance breaking a tie.<\/p>\n

One notable potential red flag from Republican senators is Kennedy\u2019s vague and at times contradictory record on abortion, which has fired up some conservatives<\/a>. During his presidential run, Kennedy and his running mate voiced support for a national 15-week ban before walking it back and offered scant policy details on how he\u2019d approach abortion in office. Many Republicans have said they\u2019ll be pressing Kennedy for clarity on where he is on the issue as he makes the rounds on Capitol Hill.<\/p>\n

And Gabbard drew plenty of skepticism and outright condemnation for some idiosyncratic decisions while in office \u2014 she met with Assad<\/a> in 2017 and voted \u2018present\u2019 on the first impeachment of Trump<\/a> \u2014 but largely voted like a traditional Democrat.<\/p>\n

She had a 100 percent score from the Human Rights Campaign<\/a>, a pro-LGBTQ+ rights group, during her final term in Congress; she boasts a 92 percent lifetime score<\/a> from influential green group the League of Conservation Voters and has just a ten percent lifetime score<\/a> from the conservative Heritage Foundation.<\/p>\n

But many Republicans see the fact that Kennedy and Gabbard don\u2019t hail from traditional Republican backgrounds as a major selling point given the need, in their minds, to significantly revamp how the federal government operates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m looking for the best person to help us, and he’s got a lot of great ideas,\u201d Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said of Kennedy. \u201cHey, he’s outside the box.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"