Kennedy Jr. will visit Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday night as part of a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) rally to drum up support for Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn and House candidate Joe Mitchell in the final days before the November 3 midterm elections. The governor's seat is open this year, with Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand, the state auditor, competing to replace Republican Kim Reynolds, who is not running for reelection. Sand has maintained a lead over Lahn since the primaries, even among Republican pollsters, which is notable considering Iowa voters haven't elected a Democratic governor since Chet Culver in 2006.
The rally comes as healthcare is among the top issues for Iowa voters as Democrats argue that Medicaid cuts, rising costs, rural care shortages and Iowa's cancer crisis have left many residents struggling. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson, a Republican, is noticeably absent from the rally's lineup, and it's unclear whether or not she was invited to the event. Newsweek reached out to event organizer MAHA PAC and Hinson's campaign, as well as the campaigns for Lahn and Sand, on Wednesday afternoon for comment.
Kennedy is rallying in Iowa as Republicans fight to maintain their majority in the House and Senate. Iowa has emerged as a battleground state for the Senate race between Hinson and Turek, and the governor's seat is also open. The event comes a week after President Donald Trump visited the Hawkeye State to rally for Hinson as polls show her neck-and-neck with Turek.
Trump is set to visit Iowa again on November 1. At the MAHA rally on Wednesday night, speakers will include Lahn, Mitchell, Kennedy, Iowa House District 43 candidate Nicole Hasso, Iowa House District 40 candidate Bill Gustoff and Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joe Ladapo, among others.
The event will take place between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. While the economy remains top of mind for most Iowan voters, according to an October survey by Emerson Polling, healthcare takes second place. The survey of 650 likely Iowa voters conducted October 5-6 found that the economy led issues for voters, at 42 percent.
It was followed by healthcare at 18 percent, threats to democracy at 10 percent and education at 8 percent. Recent polls have showed a tight race between Hinson and Turek in the Senate race: Polls have consistently favored Sand over Lahn in the gubernatorial race: Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Anna Skinner and Dave Siminoff.
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