Democrats are hoping to seize on Trump’s recent comments that the Republican Party “should never give up” on its push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, leveraging an issue that so far has not dominated the 2024 race.
“It’s almost perfect that Trump would pick the one thing they haven’t really put front and center, which we know is incredibly unpopular, and say ‘Yeah, I’m gonna do this, too!’” one Biden adviser told NBC’s Sahil Kapur.
Kapur reports that the Biden campaign intends to focus on Trump’s comments in TV ads and elsewhere, with the adviser saying, “No tactic is out of the question.”
The New York Times also reports that the Biden campaign is planning to launch TV ads this week in the Las Vegas media market and on national cable networks focused on health care, touting Biden’s work on prescription drug costs and noting Trump’s call to repeal Obamacare.
The campaign is also deploying surrogates focused on health care, with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holding a press call with the Biden campaign Tuesday to discuss Trump’s comments.
Democrats’ mobilization underscores the party’s advantage on health care. GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare helped fuel Democratic gains in the 2018 midterms, and a recent NBC News poll found that more voters trust Democrats on the health care issue.
In other campaign news…
Haley goes home: Haley returned to her home state of South Carolina on Monday for a town hall event that more resembled a rally, per Politico. And CNBC reports that billionaire Ken Langone, co-founder of Home Depot, is planning to meet with Haley next week as he weighs backing her presidential run.
DeSantis and donors: DeSantis was set to meet with potential donors Monday for the new Fight Right super PAC backing his presidential bid, as his campaign welcomed the group’s support in a memo, The Washington Post reports.
Trump takes the stand: Former President Donald Trump will take the stand in his own defense in his civil fraud trial in New York next month.
The electability argument: In a new TV ad, a super PAC backing Rep. Dean Phillips’ bid for the Democratic presidential nomination questions President Joe Biden’s electability.
Undercard clash: Politico previews the upcoming Fox News debate between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Michigan Senate shake up: Pamela Pugh, Michigan’s state Board of Education president, is dropping out of the state’s Senate race and opting instead to run in Michigan’s 8th District, an open seat.
Wooing donors: As House Republicans’ campaign arm lags in fundraising, Senate Republicans are urging donors to contribute to GOP efforts to take back the Senate instead, Politico reports.
Red state, blue city tension: State lawmakers have proposed almost 700 bills across the country that would regulate what cities and counties can do, creating tension between Republican-controlled state legislatures and Democratic-controlled cities, The Washington Post reports.
