Running On, Not From, Obamacare

Candidates Who Support The Affordable Care Act Are Going On Offense

It has been widely reported this week that Senator Mark Pryor released an ad touting his support for Obamacare in his re-election campaign in Arkansas. While Pryor’s ad shows that those running in tough races see access to affordable health care as a strong issue to highlight, this is not the first time a candidate has run on all or part of the Affordable Care Act, even if conventional wisdom has suggested otherwise.

As The New Republic’s Jonathan Cohn noted yesterday, Republicans tried the repeal argument two years ago, which led to the President touting the benefits of the law during his campaign. He was obviously re-elected. In the past, the most notable piece has been the Medicaid expansion, which has insured millions of Americans in states that have chosen to implement it, while stubborn conservative governors let their states fall behind.

Below is a selection of headlines from around the country on the issue.

ACA supporters on the offense:

• Politico: Democrats embrace Medicaid expansion on trail
• Huffington Post: Pro-Mark Begich Ad Touts Success Story
• The Hill: Pryor pushes foe on ObamaCare program
• TPM DC: Vulnerable Democrat Gives Stunningly Strong Obamacare At Hearing
• The Daily News: Mary Landrieu takes aim at “Jindal Gap”
• Washington Post: Medicaid expansion becomes weapon against GOP governors
• Tallahassee Democrat: Medicaid expansion talk key in Fla. governors race
• Wisconsin State Journal: Mary Burke rips Scott Walker for regusing Medicaid expansion money
• Atlanta Journal Constitution: Jason Carter sharpens call for a Medicaid expansion
• Rapid City Journal: Medicaid expansion big issue for South Dakota governor candidate

BOTTOM LINE: For months, we’ve seen those who voted for the ACA embrace it on the campaign trail and use it to go on offense, particularly in competitive races. Pryor is just the latest example. The conventional wisdom is that candidates want to avoid talking about the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act. But as we are increasingly seeing, the conventional wisdom is wrong.

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