Dems Pressure Senators Vulnerable in 2020 to Vote Against Healthcare Plan

Although many have emphasized the 2018 midterms as a reason for Republicans to fear passing the plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, Democrats have actually been targeting GOP senators who are seen as vulnerable in the 2020 elections, Politico reported on Monday.

Since only one Republican, Nevada's Dean Heller, is facing re-election in 2018 in a state won by Hillary Clinton, and he has been harshly critical of the GOP proposal, Democrats are focusing their pressure on senators in Iowa, North Carolina and Colorado — three swing states where Republican senators won in 2014 and will be up for re-election in three years.

To make the case, Save My Care, a progressive group trying to defeat the GOP healthcare plan, is out with new surveys from the Public Policy Polling (PPP) showing the proposal is deeply unpopular in those three states.

"There is clear evidence that supporting this healthcare repeal will do lasting damage to a Senator's standing with the voters in their state," according to a Save My Care memorandum. "Voters will reject Senators who support repeal."

Although Trump won Iowa handily, only 27 percent of voters approve of the GOP plan, which would cut Medicaid funding, and 54 percent disapprove, according to the PPP. In Colorado, where Clinton was victorious, 26 percent approve and 59 percent are against, while in North Carolina, where Trump won by a small margin, 33 percent approve and 53 percent are opposed.

According to the Save My Care polls, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina is trailing a generic Democrat, 48-44 percent, and Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado is behind 53-39 percent. Meanwhile, Joni Ernst of Iowa is leading a generic Democratic opponent 48-41 percent.

To strengthen their case that support for the GOP plan could harm the chances of the Republican senators being re-elected, the Save My Care polls, which were taken on June 30 and July 1, emphasized that 59 percent of those in Colorado prefer that Congress fix Obamacare compared to only 36 percent who want it repealed, while in North Carolina, a fix is favored by 53 percent to 40 percent, and in Iowa by 54 percent to 34 percent.

The pressure comes as progressive activists also are planning to pester Republican senators this week in their home states during the July 4 congressional recess, Axios reported.

• White House: Fully Committed to Draft Senate Healthcare Bill
• School Leaders Say GOP Healthcare Bill Would Hurt Students