Scott Jensen embraces RFK Jr. and ‘MAHA’ in second bid for governor

Scott Jensen was in his element as he addressed a crowd at a “health freedom summit” in Alexandria, Minn., earlier this month, where some of the world’s most prominent vaccine skeptics gathered to preach their beliefs.

The Chaska physician and GOP candidate for governor slammed the American Academy of Pediatrics for advocating for the elimination of nonmedical exemptions to vaccinations. He questioned why America fluoridates its water and said U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is right to explore whether there’s a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism.

“I know that if you say something in opposition to mainstream media, you put yourself at risk,” Jensen said. “... If you look at the conversations that Bobby Kennedy is trying to put on the table today, you may or may not agree with everything he says, but don’t we have an obligation to ask the questions?”

Jensen won the GOP nomination for Minnesota governor three years ago with a campaign built around skepticism of COVID-19 vaccines, death counts and mask mandates. Now, Jensen is embracing Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) message on vaccines, fluoride and autism as he tries to rally conservatives behind his second attempt to defeat DFL Gov. Tim Walz.

In questioning public health norms, Jensen is hoping to tap into a movement within the Republican Party that’s only become more influential since Kennedy’s appointment. It could give him a boost among supporters of President Donald Trump at a time when he’s also questioning how the party has handled other prominent issues, such as abortion.

While Jensen’s message may appeal to the mix of conservatives, moms and wellness enthusiasts who make up the “MAHA” movement, GOP strategist Amy Koch said he could alienate other voters if he leans into it too much.

“The last time he ran, he really went all-in on COVID ... But he lingered there too long,” said Koch, a former Minnesota Senate majority leader. “He was like a one-note wonder and he just kept singing it.”

“The confusion that is purposefully being spread unfortunately by the health department and by a well-known vaccine denier in RFK Jr. is confusing Minnesotans,” Walz said before he received his COVID-19 and flu shots earlier this month. “And not only that, it’s putting them at risk.”

Kennedy appointed skeptics to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisory committee on vaccination practices, which decided last month against recommending the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone. Contradicting scientific consensus, he has been publicly skeptical of vaccine safety and alleged that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) combination vaccine increases risks of autism.

Walz pointed to a real consequence of vaccine mistrust: Minnesota has reported 18 new measles cases this year, the fifth-highest total in at least 15 years.

But the skepticism expressed by Kennedy and Jensen is shared by a growing number of Americans. Recent surveys have found fewer Americans trust public health agencies and the importance of childhood vaccinations. A Washington Post survey this month found four in 10 parents identify as supporters of the MAHA movement, including independents and some with college degrees who identify as Democrats.

In an interview at his family clinic in Chaska, Jensen said he thinks America’s medical system cannot be trusted as it once was, citing the influence of pharmaceutical companies and financial interests.

Jensen has been a leading proponent of what supporters call the medical freedom movement since the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s become a regular at the annual “Global Health Freedom Summit” in Alexandria, speaking at the event multiple times.

Among the speakers at this year’s event were Del Bigtree, who produced an anti-vaccine film promoting the debunked claim that the MMR vaccine causes autism; and Mikki Willis, whose short film “Plandemic” promoted the baseless conspiracy that a cabal of elites were using the COVID-19 crisis to gain power and profit.

Asked about his fellow speakers, Jensen said he shouldn’t be judged for their views. As for his own, Jensen said he feels compelled to ask why the U.S. has a higher autism rate than other countries, whether fluoride should be directly applied to children’s enamel instead of added to drinking water, and whether American children are too heavily vaccinated.

“Do we have more ingredients in our food chain that are not allowed in a lot of European countries? And we do,” Jensen said, speculating about possible factors contributing to autism. “Do we vaccinate by more than double and also in a more concentrated period of time? We have some kids going in and literally getting three shots at a time that may well have seven or eight different diseases they are being vaccinated against.”

Jensen’s views are at odds with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which named vaccinations and fluoridation of drinking water among the top 10 public health achievements of the 20th century. Vaccination resulted in the eradication of smallpox and control of measles, rubella, tetanus and other infectious diseases. The fluoridation of drinking water started in 1945 and has resulted in a major decline in cavities and tooth loss.

“The only studies that disagree with that are ones that have been deemed to be fraudulent,” said Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. He added that diagnostic criteria for autism have improved over time, resulting in more cases being identified.

Osterholm said that while children receive more vaccinations today than previously, modern vaccines are cleaner, containing far fewer antigens, which trigger immune responses.

Jensen said he wouldn’t try to make any changes to the state’s required immunizations for K-12 students if elected governor, but he said he might propose a constitutional amendment on health freedom, ensuring patients and parents can say yes or no to medical treatments.

“The notion of both medically based and conscientiously based exemptions for vaccines is a must,” Jensen said.

Since launching his second campaign for governor in July, Jensen has expressed a desire to moderate on certain issues, such as abortion, and not be “confined by partisan rhetoric.” He said he now views abortion as “settled law” in Minnesota, a departure from previous comments in 2022 that he would try to ban the procedure.

But Jensen is not wavering in his skepticism of vaccines and other public health measures, wading into controversial territory that distinguishes him from other Republicans running for governor, including GOP state Rep. Kristin Robbins and businessman Kendall Qualls.

It’s unclear if it will be enough to win over Republicans who are skeptical of his abortion stance and of supporting a candidate who lost to Walz before. The right-wing group Action 4 Liberty, an influential player in state GOP politics, has criticized Jensen as someone who “will flip-flop and have clips with him on every side of the issue.”

Jensen’s vaccine views could also be a liability in a general election. Previewing an early line of attack, Minnesota DFL chair Richard Carlbom said Jensen is running on “the same conspiracy-laden platform that made him lose the 2022 election,” likening him to a “wannabe RFK Jr.”

GOP state Rep. Max Rymer, who was a consultant for Jensen’s 2022 campaign, said he thinks more people have become open to questioning conventional wisdom since the pandemic. However, he said he isn’t convinced the issue will drive people to vote for or against a candidate.