Ohio Sen. Jon Husted has picked up an unusual campaign endorsement from an unlikely source: the burger chain Steak ‘n Shake, which credited the Republican’s embrace of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement as the reason for its backing.
Steak ‘n Shake announced its endorsement in a post on X Friday, declaring it was “proud to announce its endorsement” of Husted, who is locked in a tough midterm race against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown. “We stand with Husted because he champions the MAHA movement to clean up the American food supply chain and lower the cost for consumers,” the company wrote, while blasting Brown’s record on federal spending, which it argued fueled inflation and drove up grocery prices for Ohio families.
The endorsement post included a video of Husted standing in front of a massive Steak ‘n Shake sign touting the chain’s beef tallow french fries. “Hey, it’s Jon Husted. I’m here at the midterm National Convention in Dallas. We’re celebrating America 250 and the freedoms we all enjoy, and one of the freedoms we enjoy is eating what we like to eat, what we enjoy,” Husted said in the clip, holding a carton of fries. He went on to emphasize the importance of transparency around food ingredients so Americans can make informed, healthier choices.
The endorsement comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has overhauled federal dietary guidance, flipping the traditional food pyramid to prioritize protein, full-fat dairy, and what the administration calls “healthy fats” — including beef tallow — while pushing whole grains toward the bottom. According to HHS guidance, Americans cooking with or adding fats to meals should prioritize oils with essential fatty acids like olive oil, but butter or beef tallow are also acceptable options.
The new guidelines haven’t been without controversy. The American Heart Association issued a lukewarm response, expressing concern the guidance could lead people to consume too much saturated fat and sodium. Critics have also noted a tension in the guidelines themselves: while HHS recommends no more than 10 percent of daily calories come from fat, the same guidance encourages prioritizing high-saturated-fat foods like red meat, full-fat dairy, butter, and beef tallow — meaning something as simple as an eight-ounce rib-eye steak could push many people over their daily saturated fat limit.
Regardless of the nutritional debate, the Steak ‘n Shake endorsement gives Husted a colorful and attention-grabbing moment in a closely watched Senate race that could help determine control of the chamber.
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