Refusing to expand Medicaid now becomes a hot political issue

Tuesday night, Speaker of the House in the North Carolina legislature, Thom Tillis, won the Republican primary race for senator, defeating a Tea Party challenger from the far right -- one who even claims that the 2nd amendment is so absolute that it gives individuals the right to own nuclear weapons.   

Tillis thus becomes the Republican challenger to Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan, widely considered one of the most vulnerable seats that could flip control of the senate to the Republicans. 

Sen. Hagan's backers had even run an ad against Tillis during the primary, hoping to force a run-off between Tillis and the extremist candidate who would be easier to defeat.

Not to worry so much.    This new study I wrote about yesterday gives a sharp focus to what may now become the main campaign issue in this race.    Thom Tillis ran his own ad boasting that, as Speaker, he was solely responsible for stopping the expansion of Medicaid in North Caroliona.

Sen. Hagan lost no time seizing control of the issue.  She used the confirmation hearings of President Obama's nominee to replace Katherine Sebilius as Secretary of HHS to speak about the 500,000 people in N.C. who had been denied health coverage because the Medicaid expansion was blocked.

The majority in North Carolina are fed up with people like Thom Tillis turning their "purple" state into a bastion of ultra-conservative legislation on abortion, voting rights, marriage equality, and undermining the ACA.  

I am very optimistic that the ACA is going to turn out to be a political advantage in November, not the Democratic bete noire the Republicans were expecting.

Ralph