The National Republican Campaign Committee is targeting Minnesota Democrats with digital ads attacking some party leaders' support for a single-payer healthcare system.
"Tell Nancy Pelosi and Minnesota Democrats we can't afford single-payer healthcare!" says the 58-second ad.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has voiced general support for the idea, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has recently said that a single-payer system is on the table for Democrats. But on MSNBC this summer, Pelosi said, "It isn't helpful to tinkle all over the Affordable Care Act right now ...we have to support the [law] and defeat what the Republicans are doing."
The NRCC is targeting Democrats Angie Craig, who is challenging Rep. Jason Lewis, and Dean Phillips, who is running against Rep. Erik Paulsen, though the ad doesn't mention them by name. Lewis and Paulsen are Republicans representing swing districts that are expected to be major battlegrounds in the 2018 election.
Phillips hasn't stated his position on a single-payer system. Asked about the issue on Almanac last fall, Craig said she supports making improvements to the individual marketplace and bringing the costs of prescription drugs down. The NRCC said it's targeting them because they're Democratic front-runners in their respective races, though high school teacher and football coach Jeff Erdmann, another Democratic challenger to Lewis, is touting "Medicare for all."
The healthcare debate will play a big role in shaping the elections, as Democrats go after Republicans for their moves to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act--legislation that recently collapsed in the Senate. Lewis and Paulsen both voted in the spring for bills to repeal and replace ObamaCare in the House.
The six-figure ad buy is targeting mobile "swing" users on Facebook. Moving to a European-style single-payer system "could mean trillions in higher taxes and full government control over all of our medical decisions," said NRCC spokeswoman Maddie Anderson in a statemet. "We'd like to hear from Minnesota Democrats themselves--do Dean Phillips and Angie Craig support single-payer for all?"
