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The
Hill
ObamaCare
gives vulnerable incumbent Democrats the jitters
By
Alexander Bolton
10/26/13
The
Affordable Care Act is casting a shadow over Democrats’ chances in
Senate battleground states, putting pressure on vulnerable Senate
Democrats to distance themselves from the law’s clumsy rollout.
Five
vulnerable Democratic incumbents who this week called for extending
the law’s enrollment period and delaying penalties for not signing
up on time come from states where voters hold unfavorable views of
the law.
Some
Democratic strategists, however, argue the issue is not as potent as
Republicans think and predict it could boomerang on conservatives who
have pushed for a full repeal of the law without offering detailed
proposals to replace it.
Republican-sponsored
and independent polls in Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire
and North Carolina show the law is significantly more unpopular than
popular.
Internal
National Republican Senatorial Committee polling in New Hampshire
from late September showed 40 percent of respondents approve of the
law compared to 54 percent who disapprove. Within those categories,
47 percent strongly disapprove and only 27 percent strongly approve.
Sen.
Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) asked Secretary of Health and Human Services
Kathleen Sebelius in a letter dated Oct. 22 to extend the open
enrollment period beyond the current end date of March. 31, 2014.
Shaheen shared her concerns about the law with White House officials
in April. She warned then that many small businesses in her home
state do not know how to comply with the law.
A
Democratic strategist pointed to a New England College poll conducted
Oct. 7 - 9 that showed 58 percent of 1063 registered voters in New
Hampshire support the Affordable Care Act.
Internal
polling conducted by the NRSC in May showed that only 32 percent of
respondents in Alaska support the law while 59 percent oppose it.
Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), who faces a tough re-election, signed
Shaheen’s letter to Sebelius and has sponsored legislation to delay
ObamaCare’s employer mandate for two years.
Sens.
Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.),
who are on the Republicans’ 2014 target list, also signed the
letter.
An
OnMessage survey conducted in mid October for Rep. Tom Cotton
(R-Ark.) showed that only 33 percent of likely voters in Arkansas
favor ObamaCare while 62 percent oppose it…
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the rest of the article at The Hill
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