Survey: Most voters disapprove of RFK Jr.'s nomination after learning his views

Most Americans disapprove of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. potentially leading the Department of Health and Human Services once they hear about his positions and beliefs, according to a survey from Democratic-aligned groups Protect Our Care and Data for Progress shared first with The Hill. 

When voters were asked initially if they approve or disapprove of Trump's nomination of RFK Jr., 45 percent said they approve. 

But after the respondents were informed of RFK Jr.’s past statements, their approval of his nomination dropped to 39 percent, a swing from a 3-point margin of approval to a 13-point margin of disapproval. 

Disapproval among independents rose from 38 percent to 52 percent, while disapproval among Republicans increased from 16 percent to 27 percent. 

According to the survey, voters said they were most concerned about Kennedy’s opposition to drug development and disease research, followed by his opposition to vaccinations. 

Kennedy has name recognition, and the poll showed people largely know about his nomination; 38 percent said they’d read or heard “a lot” about the nomination, while 49 percent said they’d heard or read “a little.” 

Kennedy made a name as an environmental attorney, but in recent decades has devoted his time to vaccine skepticism and fighting public health scientists and doctors. He initially ran for president last year as a Democrat, before switching to become an independent. He eventually dropped out and endorsed Trump. 

Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,473 U.S. likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.