A report that Kennedy raised the possibility of an “agreement” that would benefit an Iowa Libertarian if he exited the race raises all kinds of red flags.

By all accounts, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is not an especially popular figure in American politics, but the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist nevertheless has a public following. With this in mind, Kennedy recently started taking on electoral responsibilities, including headlining an event in Michigan last week with Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in one of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts.

As Politico noted, this was the latest in a series of events that included stops in Colorado, Wisconsin and Ohio. Technically, these events were not official campaign stops for the Cabinet secretary, but since Kennedy only visited competitive districts and appeared only alongside Republicans in closely watched races ahead of the midterm elections, the emerging pattern wasn’t exactly subtle.

But perhaps notable was the HHS secretary’s interest in Iowa.