Conservative Suspicion About RFK Jr.’s Long History Of Leftist Activism Is Understandable Mario H. Lopez
As the Senate debates Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to be the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, it would benefit conservatives to question whether handing the reigns of an entire federal agency to a career Democrat is in their own political best interests.
RFK Jr.’s abrupt party realignment and Trump endorsement certainly raised eyebrows this summer on both ends of the political spectrum. From the outset, Kennedy’s calculated pivot from a long career as an advocate for enacting liberal policies as a card-carrying Democrat was met with justifiable skepticism.
Kennedy’s ideology is reflected in both his political legacy and professional career. As he said himself during a town hall event earlier this year, “You know, people have said to me, ‘why don’t you run it as an independent’ … and I say ‘because I’m a Democrat,” even going so far as to invoke the likes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt as a model.
Even as Kennedy criticized current Democrat leadership and lamented the current state of the party, he made it clear he still identifies with the party’s larger agenda. That positioning is not reflective of someone who has undergone a fundamental transformation in ideology and is ready and willing to implement any sort of conservative agenda.
The motivation behind Kennedy’s endorsement of Trump has raised questions across the nation’s capital. Federal Election Commission filings reveal that the Trump campaign paid $100,000 to a law firm employing Kennedy just weeks after he dropped out of the race and threw his support behind Trump.
While such payments are not inherently illegal, they do suggest that financial incentives may have played a role in Kennedy’s decision to withdraw and endorse Trump. For conservatives, this raises troubling possibilities about whether Kennedy’s endorsement was a matter of principle or political convenience.
Just how eager RFK Jr. has been in pursuit of gaining political influence and visibility in Washington? Before maneuvering to join a future Trump administration, he made first made highly public overtures about a similar Cabinet position to Vice President Kamala Harris, and waited until she rejected him before moving on to court Trump.
Apart from the shady optics of his abrupt realignment, Kennedy’s private wealth has been built on a history of plaintiff work as a mass tort litigation attorney. His career as an environmental lawyer and staunch advocate for stringent regulations reflects a worldview at odds with the deregulatory priorities of GOP senators.
RFK Jr.’s deep ties to trial lawyers — a constituency notorious for opposing common-sense legal reforms favored by conservatives — further underscore his alignment with liberal interests.
In 2023 alone, Kennedy received over $5 million in a partnership role at the trial firm Kennedy & Madonna—the firm that famously made millions undercutting the coal mining industry in West Virginia, hurting job creation and economic opportunity, making life difficult for West Virginians.
If confirmed as HHS Secretary, Kennedy would wield immense power over a department tasked with shaping health care policy for millions of Americans. With Republicans finally controlling the Senate, House, and White House, there is a historic opportunity to enact market-based reforms across health care, the economy, and the greater regulatory space.
Even if one were to ignore Kennedy’s claims about vaccines — including the correlation between vaccines and conditions like autism, as well as his involvement and deceit about the vast amount of money he made cashing in as he was advocating against the polio vaccine — his long-standing post as a liberal Democrat could easily threaten to undermine the execution of meaningful reforms at HHS.
From pushing for increased environmental oversight to advocating for expansive nanny-state-style health care regulations, there is valid reason for concern that Kennedy’s instincts will align more closely with his past liberal priorities than with conservative principles.
Senators would do well to take a hard look at Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s long record. Confirming a career Democrat with deep ties to the left requires very careful contemplation before making a decision that could squander an opportunity to implement constructive changes at HHS.
Mario H. Lopez is the president of the Hispanic Leadership Fund, a public policy advocacy organization that promotes liberty, opportunity, and prosperity for all.
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