On The Campaign Trail, Some Democrats Embrace Health Law
One of the most notable examples is taking place in the Pennsylvania primary, where Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls are expressing support for the law.
The New York Times: Democratic Candidates Grow More Vocal In Supporting Health Law
So far, 76 percent of all Republican-sponsored general election spots in House and Senate races this year have attacked the Affordable Care Act, making the law the most mentioned issue in such ads, according to Kantar Media/CMAG, which tracks political advertising. But Democrats, who this cycle have run largely on a “fix, don’t repeal” strategy concerning the law, are now gingerly experimenting, mostly in primaries and through outside groups, with ads that endorse the law and also say what could be lost if Republicans repeal it (Parker, 4/24).
Politico: Democrats Race To Embrace Obamacare In Pennsylvania Primary
Democrats vying to be the swing state’s next governor are trying to one-up each other in showing their support for the law ahead of the May 20 primary — airing ads boasting ties to the president, tweeting old OpEds proving their pro-health law bona fides and even suggesting one Democratic contender is a “frenemy” of the law (Schultheis, 4/24).
ABC News: Three Women (Start To) Run On Obamacare
Something unusual is brewing in Pennsylvania: A Democrat is running on – not from – Obamacare. As she seeks to emerge from a crowded Democratic primary field in Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial race, Rep. Allyson Schwartz is among the first prominent Democrats to take President Obama’s advice and defend the new health care law. “It’s a major accomplishment of the president’s,” Schwartz told reporters on a call Wednesday. “It is something I think all of us should be proud of” (Parks, 4/24).
And on the fact-checking front -
The Washington Post’s The Fact Checker: The Bogus Claim That Obamacare Has Boosted The Number Of Uninsured
Rep. Tim Huelskamp is a tea party favorite who has long been a skeptic of the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, but his recent remarks during a swing of town halls jumped out at The Fact Checker. He referred to “numbers” that showed that, even after all the hoopla about 8 million Americans enrolling on the exchanges, the number of uninsured in Kansas has actually risen since the law went into effect. What is he looking at? (Kessler, 4/25).