Mixed Vaccine Messages Threaten Trump’s Agenda and Republicans’ Electoral Outlook

Polls show that strong majorities of voters — including Trump supporters — think vaccines are forces for good.

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Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. delivers remarks while President Donald Trump listens during a press conference to announce a link between autism and childhood vaccines, at the White House in Washington, D.C., September 22, 2025.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Democrats just notched resounding election victories, and our fellow Republicans are right to worry about what the results mean for the 2026 midterms and the future of President Trump’s agenda.

Just a year ago, President Trump came within six points of winning traditionally blue New Jersey and Virginia. But this November, both states elected Democrats for governor by at least 14-point margins. Meanwhile, a progressive Democrat won the mayoral election in New York City — the beating heart of American capitalism — and in Georgia, Republicans lost two public service commission seats that they had held for decades.

Michael Burgess

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Michael Burgess

Michael Burgess was the U.S. representative for Texas's 26th congressional district from 2003 to 2025, before which he practiced as a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology for more than two decades.

LB

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Larry Bucshon

Former representative Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R., Ind.) served in Congress after decades practicing as a cardiothoracic surgeon.

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