Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. contacted Libertarian candidates in Iowa, including one congressional candidate whom he encouraged to leave a competitive U.S. House race to help Republicans retain control of Congress, according to a recent report.
In an exclusive published June 25, The Washington Post reported that Kennedy spoke by phone on June 11 with Rick Stewart, the Libertarian candidate in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, during which he said he was acting as a “liaison” with the White House. During the call, Kennedy reportedly argued that Democratic control of the U.S. House would weaken President Donald Trump’s agenda and suggested Stewart could do more through an agreement than through what Kennedy called a “symbolic run” for office.
The call was partially recorded by Stewart and shared with The Washington Post, which included audio from the conversation with its report. While no specific offer was made, the outlet reported that Stewart interpreted the call as an attempted quid pro quo, with Stewart saying he was left with the implication of, “You help us, we’ll help you.” He also said he has no plans to leave the race.
“I’m not planning on leaving the race,” Stewart told the publication. “I’m certainly not pulling out to help my Republican opponent.”
Stewart is currently the Libertarian Party of Iowa’s only congressional candidate still set to appear on the November ballot after the State Objection Panel removed 3rd Congressional District candidate Marco Battaglia and the party’s gubernatorial ticket from the ballot earlier this month. Stewart also faced a challenge over his use of “Rick” on his affidavit of candidacy while some of his nominating petitions used “Richard,” but the panel rejected that objection.
The Washington Post reported that government ethics experts said Kennedy’s outreach was “unethical and potentially illegal,” depending on whether he made any specific promises and whether the calls were made in his official capacity. The Washington Post also reported that Trump political adviser James Blair asked Kennedy to contact Libertarian candidates because he believed they respected him, though one person familiar with the matter said Blair did not tell Kennedy to offer anything in exchange for withdrawing.
Kennedy had already been visible within Libertarian Party circles before joining the Trump administration. While running for president, his campaign worked with the Libertarian National Committee to establish the Kennedy Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee. He also spoke at the party’s 2024 Libertarian National Convention and was briefly considered during the presidential nominating vote before being defeated in the first round, though some Libertarians later asked state affiliates to consider placing him and running mate Nicole Shanahan on Libertarian ballot lines in place of the party’s nominated ticket of Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat.
Kennedy reportedly declined to comment when reached by phone, referring questions to a spokesperson who did not respond. The White House and Department of Health and Human Services also did not respond to questions from The Washington Post, including whether Kennedy’s calls had been cleared by lawyers, whether he had been asked to make them, and how many candidates he had contacted.
The report also said Kennedy had called Battaglia several days earlier. Battaglia told The Washington Post that Kennedy similarly warned him the House could flip to Democrats if he stayed in the race and that Kennedy “leaned on” him to drop out. Battaglia said he considered the request before declining.
Unlike Stewart, Battaglia was removed from the ballot after Republicans successfully challenged his use of the name Marco Battaglia, rather than his legal name, Mark T. Anderson. The Libertarian Party of Iowa said earlier this month that it plans to contest that decision, and the national Libertarian Party has pledged support for the state party’s ballot-access fight. The Libertarian gubernatorial ticket has separately filed a petition for judicial review in Polk County District Court.
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