Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) appears increasingly likely after his Senate Finance Committee hearing on Wednesday, where Democrats missed key opportunities to derail his nomination.

Rather than focusing on areas where they might have found common ground, Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) instead engaged in attacks on Kennedy’s past positions, a move that Republican strategist Brad Todd described as a “big mistake” during a discussion on CNN This Morning on Friday.

Todd explained that instead of effectively challenging Kennedy’s nomination, Democrats pushed him closer to Senate Republicans by focusing on divisive issues.

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“I think RFK Jr.’s hearing to me was the most entertaining, but it was a big mistake by Democrats,” Todd said.

“Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders made him more confirmable. There’s nobody who Republicans dislike more than Elizabeth Warren, and it’s for all the right reasons.”

He argued that Warren, in particular, could have approached the hearing differently by highlighting their shared views on certain policy issues.

“But she should have gone with RFK and said, ‘You know, look, I agree with you on abortion. I agree with you on affirmative action. I agree with you on guns. In fact, I like you more than any nominee [President] Donald Trump ever has,’” Todd continued.

Instead, he noted that Warren and Sanders chose to use the hearing for political theater rather than strategic maneuvering.

“If she wanted to sink him, she should have hugged him. But she doesn’t get that. She wants to make sound bites for the left,” Todd said.

“And I know that … this is all theater for her. I thought that made that hearing a circus. Entertaining, but it maybe has strengthened RFK.”

The day after the Finance Committee hearing, Kennedy made an appearance before the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, though no vote was required to send his nomination to the Senate floor.

Despite increasing Republican support, some skepticism remains. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician and a voting member of the Finance Committee, is widely viewed as one of the most hesitant Republicans when it comes to confirming Kennedy.

During the CNN discussion, anchor Kasie Hunt asked Todd whether Cassidy might ultimately vote against Kennedy.

“It’s possible. I think there are probably 10 to 15 Republicans who have real qualms with RFK Jr. Most of them have qualms because of his ideology. He’s been a liberal Democrat for most of his career,” Todd said.

“He’s closer to Elizabeth Warren than he is to Bill Cassidy on ideological questions. I don’t know … he has a following. He was additive in the campaign. He brought voters to Donald Trump. People are trying to be respectful of that, but they do have qualms about him.”

Cassidy publicly expressed concerns on Thursday regarding Kennedy’s past controversial statements on vaccines and the pharmaceutical industry, indicating that he was still evaluating his stance.

“My responsibility is to learn, to try to understand if you can be trusted to support the best public health: A worthy movement called MAHA to improve the health of Americans, or to undermine it, always asking for more evidence and never accepting the evidence that is there,” Cassidy said.

“That’s my dilemma, man. So you may be hearing from me over the weekend.”

While some Republicans remain undecided, Kennedy’s chances of confirmation have significantly improved following the hearings.

If Democrats had taken a different approach, his path to confirmation might have been more difficult.

Instead, Kennedy’s ability to withstand their questioning appears to have solidified his standing with Senate Republicans.

With a final vote approaching, Kennedy’s nomination remains a key test for how much influence both party factions hold in shaping Trump’s health policy agenda.

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