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Allies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are feeling optimistic about his chances to pick off one or more Democratic votes for confirmation as Donald Trump’s health secretary as he sits down with a slate of opposition-party senators.
The positivity comes as much of the drama surrounding Trump’s Cabinet picks has died down — at least within the Republican Party. Kennedy is set to meet with more than a half-dozen members of the Senate Democratic caucus this week, including Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
The confidence in Kennedy’s potential to peel off Democratic votes is “good,” one Kennedy ally told Semafor. “Enough to offset the anti-Trump Republicans.”
Kennedy allies and members of Trump’s team believe Senate Democrats aren’t completely unified, particularly when it comes to the Health and Human Services secretary nominee — a former Democrat who still holds left-leaning views, particularly on processed food and the pharmaceutical industry.
“There’s a lot of crossover with Democrats and RFK,” another person close to Trump noted.
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Even though Democrats are willing to meet with Kennedy, convincing them to vote for him will be far more challenging. His confirmation hearings will prove pivotal, with Democrats likely to lob tough questions on his vaccine skepticism as well as other looming issues in his background.
Still, the optimism from Trump’s and Kennedy’s camps about his confirmation chances reflect a broader positivity about the president-elect’s Cabinet nominees.
“We’re confident with everyone,” the person close to Trump said. “And that’s not hyperbole or spin. I think everyone feels pretty confident about not just RFK, but [Pete] Hegseth, about Tulsi [Gabbard], about Kash [Patel]. I think everyone feels pretty good.”
Shelby’s view
Kennedy very well could pick up one or two Democratic votes: Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, for example, has expressed a willingness to support some Trump nominees.
But his easiest path is still through the Republican Party — and it’s not clear he has full support there yet.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, who had a conversation with Kennedy on Thursday, did not exactly suggest he’d been convinced: On X, Cassidy described the conversation as “frank,” and noted that they discussed “vaccines at length.” (Kennedy’s history of vaccine skepticism is one of the factors that has troubled members on both sides of the aisle.)