But the relationship between MAHA and President Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again brand has been strained in recent months as grassroots activists see Trump as backing away from many of his campaign promises.

The largest wedge splitting the MAHA-MAGA alliance is the Trump administration’s support of the pharmaceutical company Bayer and its appeal to the Supreme Court for a liability shield against lawsuits alleging that its pesticide glyphosate causes cancer.

Activists have also expressed disappointment in the announcement last week that the Environmental Protection Agency would reverse guidance on forever chemicals in the water supply, as well as lobbying by Big Tobacco that led to the loosening of Food and Drug Administration rules on vaping products.

But if Paxton wins the primary and goes on to defeat Democrat James Talarico in November, the MAHA movement would relish having a strong ally in a federal policymaking capacity.

Alex Clark, host of Turning Point USA’s wellness podcast Culture Apothecary, told the Washington Examiner that she and other activists deep within the movement are planning to strongly encourage the so-called “MAHA moms” in Texas to vote for Paxton.

“The idea that we could have a senator in Paxton who is full-blown MAHA is going to be one of the best power moves that we could possibly get,” Clark said.

Paxton’s MAHA credentials

Within the past year, Paxton has launched numerous MAHA-related lawsuits or investigations as part of his overall Trump Republican brand.

The Texas attorney general’s office investigated Kellogg’s, General Mills, and Mars for deceptive trade practices in marketing their food products as healthy despite containing petroleum-based dyes. Paxton also recently launched a sweeping investigation into the baby food companies Gerber and Plum Organics for selling products that allegedly contain unsafe levels of heavy metals.

Earlier this week, Paxton secured a settlement against the grocery store chain Albertsons for spraying pesticides on certified organic produce, an area of post-harvest chemical exposure that is becoming a new point of interest for the MAHA movement.

Clark says the so-called “MAHA moms,” a key demographic of swing voters in the coalition, are most excited about Paxton’s investigation into the athletic clothing brand Lululemon for its use of forever chemicals in its synthetic fabrics.

Female MAHA advocates say the microplastics in synthetic clothing are absorbed into the skin, especially in intimate areas that come in close contact with leggings and sports bras, and are contributing factors to rising infertility rates.

Clark said Paxton’s clothing investigation in particular is “really on the forefront of something very, very big.”

She also emphasized that many MAHA moms are single-issue voters who are not necessarily loyal to political parties but rather causes that are most important to the health and safety of their families.

“So whoever is running for office that’s saying that they will get the stuff done, and not only just saying that they’ll get it done, but actually proving that they’re willing to walk the walk, which Ken Paxton is doing, they’re going to get those votes,” Clark said.

Losses for Massie and Cassidy as Paxton’s opportunities

Buzz about Paxton’s MAHA reputation comes as MAHA’s representation in Congress is in flux, which could be used to his electoral advantage.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) lost his primary reelection bid against a Trump-backed candidate, Ed Gallrein. Although Massie drew the ire of the president for backing Democrats in the Epstein files investigation, MAHA lost a champion in the House for its causes.

Jennifer Galardi, senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation’s wellness division, said she thinks Paxton may be able to ride the wave of MAHA’s disappointment in Massie’s loss to convince swing voters that he will take up the MAHA mantle the libertarian representative will leave behind.

“Many in the MAHA movement are pretty upset about Massie’s defeat in primaries in Kentucky, and I think someone like Paxton, who is obviously capitalizing on the political force of MAHA, could help reinvigorate some of their battles in Congress,” Galardi said.

Should he win the general election in November, Paxton would be entering the Senate as Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a longtime critic of Kennedy, leaves office and his chairmanship of the Senate health committee.

Cassidy, who, like Massie, did not get Trump’s endorsement, lost his primary election bid on May 16 and did not advance to the runoff stage. But unlike Massie, Cassidy has been accused of using his position as chairman to block key presidential appointments to federal health agencies, including the surgeon general, and thereby blocking the advancement of MAHA policy.

A pro-MAHA senator, such as Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) or Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), is likely to take the leadership role, and there will likely be an open seat in the committee with Paxton’s name on it should he win and Republicans keep the majority in the chamber this fall.

MAHA’s future with the GOP in question

Ahead of the midterm elections and the 2028 presidential election closely following, Clark said she hopes Republicans will take Paxton’s lead and heed the MAHA movement’s role in the new political landscape.

Clark expressed disappointment in the administration’s position on glyphosate and forever chemicals. She also said she was worried that the administration’s decision to approve fruit-flavored vaping products would encourage vaping among children.

She said voters “have a right to hold the administration accountable” at the ballot box for its recent moves.

“I think the administration needs to hear these concerns, because this health movement helped fuel this political realignment and getting him reelected,” Clark said, noting that she believes the increase in female voters for Trump in 2024 came from MAHA-aligned mothers.

Galardi said it is in MAHA’s best interest to stick with its alliance to the GOP despite concerns.

TOBACCO INDUSTRY MONEY CAUSES MAHA-MAGA RIFT

“I always think it’s better to stay in one place and drill a deep well as opposed to just kind of bopping around like a groundhog on every hole that you find,” Galardi said. “You’re going to hit some rocks and some boulders, but you keep drilling.”

The Washington Examiner contacted Paxton’s campaign for comment.