Obamacare wars back on campaign trail: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online edition of From the Politics Desk. This evening newsletter brings you the latest reporting and analysis from campaigns, the White House and Capitol Hill from the NBC News politics team.

In today’s edition, senior national political reporter Sahil Kapur examines how the political fight over Obamacare has reignited this week. Plus, “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker explains why Pennsylvania is becoming so important to the White House and Senate battles.

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Obamacare wars back on campaign track

Written by Sahil Kapur

Obamacare is back on the table.

Roughly 15 years have passed since then-President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, and the political battle over health care reform is once again intensifying in the final stages of the 2024 presidential election.

Vice President Kamala Harris has begun to lean heavily into the issue, launching multiple ads this week pledging to uphold the law and calling out former President Donald Trump’s coverage and claims that she would strip subsidies to restore them. Armed with continued calls for an ACA replacement. Insurance regulations that protect pre-existing conditions.

Trump won the 2016 election by calling for the repeal of Obamacare, which had long been used as a punching bag for the right, but his efforts to repeal it made the law more popular among Americans. Nevertheless, he continues to criticize the law and says he still wants to replace it, but only if he comes up with a better program. He said in a Sept. 10 debate with Harris that he had “an idea of ​​a plan,” but his campaign has not said when he will announce his proposal.

Harris’ latest ad features a farmer with brain cancer who credits Obamacare with saving her life and her farm. “Mr. Trump is coming for our health care. It’s pretty scary,” the woman said to the camera.

Also this week, President Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, raised eyebrows by rewriting history about Trump’s attempts to repeal Obamacare during his presidency.

“Donald Trump could have destroyed the program. Instead, he worked to ensure Americans had access to affordable care in a bipartisan way,” Vance said in Tuesday’s Vice. He said this at a presidential debate.

Vance was wrong. As president, Trump will repeal the law through an unsuccessful repeal bill that was expected to leave millions uninsured, through executive action to weaken insurance regulations, and in 2020 to repeal the law entirely. He fought to destroy the ACA, asking the Supreme Court to do so.

Obamacare survived despite President Trump’s efforts. Harris now wants to capitalize on this issue, as Democrats did in the 2018 and 2020 elections.

On Capitol Hill, many Republicans see the Obamacare battle as a loser and are trying to turn the page. But some are prepared to restart next year if they win the election.

Among them is Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), who is running to become the new leader of the Senate’s No. 3 Republican. Cotton told NBC News that with many of Trump’s tax cuts set to expire at the end of 2025, he supports including the health care overhaul in the major tax bill Congress is expected to consider next year.

The enhanced Obamacare subsidies, which also expire at the end of 2025, will limit premiums to 8.5% of income for many Americans and cost about $25 billion a year.

Extending these subsidies is a priority for Harris and Democrats. The winner of the 2024 election will decide whether it takes place.

Shift in strategy: In addition to the newly launched health care-focused ads, Monica Alba, Jonathan Allen, Peter Nicholas, and Yamiesh Alcindor have been announced as part of the Harris campaign’s effort to They report that they plan to attack Trump more aggressively in the remaining weeks. According to five Harris campaign officials, the move is aimed at attracting a small number of undecided voters.

Meanwhile, some Democratic strategists and activists say Harris has largely avoided town hall-style events with voters and media interviews, leaving her in the race for Peter Nicholas, Natasha Korecki and Monica Alba. have expressed concern that the excitement of their initial participation has not been fully capitalized on. And Matt Dixon reports.

Why the Keystone State holds the key to 2024

Written by Kristen Welker

Election Day is a month away, and no state is more important than Pennsylvania right now.

This is key to Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s path to winning 270 electoral votes, and polls show the race in Pennsylvania is incredibly close.

In fact, Trump is scheduled to campaign on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of an attempt on his life nearly three months ago. Meanwhile, Barack Obama will make his first appearance on the fall campaign trail at a Harris event in Pittsburgh next week.

Additionally, the Keystone State is home to a key Senate race between Democratic incumbent Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick. The two debated for the first time Thursday night, with Casey criticizing McCormick’s past residency in Connecticut and McCormick bashing Casey for supporting President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the 2024 race.

Mr. Biden, for his part, is scheduled to visit Philadelphia next Tuesday for a campaign event with Mr. Casey.

And Pennsylvania has up to five competitive House races that could determine which party controls the House next year.

A month from now, another state could dominate the election night political discussion. After all, Wisconsin was a tipping point state in 2016 and 2020 that pushed winning presidential candidates past the threshold of the electoral system.

But heading into 2024, for me, it’s all about Pennsylvania being the state to watch on November 5th, and perhaps beyond.

That’s all from the political desk. If you have any feedback, love it or hate it, email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com.

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