WASHINGTON (AP) In Republican hands for 28 years but now up for grabs, a suburban Missouri congressional district hugging St. Louis has become a lab for what each party considers one of its most lethal political weapons.
TV ads by GOP Rep. Ann Wagner show protesters stomping a police car as the narrator accuses Democratic challenger Jill Schupp of support from radical defund the police organizations. A Schupp spot says Wagner voted against people with preexisting conditions during COVID. The coronavirus causes COVID-19.
The pattern is similar outside Philadelphia, where GOP Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick accuses Democratic challenger Christina Finelo of supporting police defunding. Finelos first ad says Fitzpatricks backed ending coverage for people with preexisting conditions. Each contests the others charge.
Scores of suburban districts are back in play in the GOPs long-shot attempt to win House control in Novembers election. Democrats who used health care to capture the majority in 2018 are emphasizing it anew, saying theyll shield voters from Republicans trying to tear coverage away during a pandemic.
This is as current an issue as can possibly be, said Leslie Dach, who heads the Democratic-backed Protect Our Care Coalition.
In some races, Republicans are talking up lawlessness to try stemming defections of educated, moderate suburban voters from the GOP, spurred by aversion to President Donald Trump. But even where Republican candidates promote themes such as rebuilding the economy, Trumps blunt-force ads and his tweets on law and order have kept it in the forefront.
If I dont win, Americas Suburbs will be OVERRUN with Low Income Projects, Anarchists, Agitators, Looters and, of course, `Friendly Protesters, he tweeted recently.
Wagner has voted for bills that would have ended the coverage that former President Barack Obamas health care law guarantees people with preexisting conditions. Shes introduced bills to protect such coverage, her campaign says.
Schupp has said she opposes defunding police, a far-left call to restructure and even cut police agencies that many Democrats reject. Shes been backed by Indivisible, a progressive group that supports the proposal.
Each party says their messaging is poll-tested and will work.
Public safety and police defunding are an increasingly significant and powerful issue in suburbs, said Dan Conston, president of the Congressional Leadership Fund. Conston, whose group is aligned with House GOP leaders, said with health care, Democrats are betting their tired, dated arguments will work.
Health care is the number one issue that people care about, counters Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Ill., who heads the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Democrats campaign arm. She says Democrats are on the right side on law and order, supporting peaceful marchers but denouncing people who are burning buildings.
So far, public polling offers scant evidence that the GOPs law and order arguments have taken hold.
A Monmouth University Poll this month showed voters nationally trust Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden slightly more than Trump to maintain law and order. It also found just 13 percent say its highly likely that integrating suburbs would worsen crime and harm property values.
A September survey by The New York Times and Siena College found that while majorities in swing states Wisconsin and Minnesota called lawlessness a major U.S. problem, few considered it a primary concern at home.
Republicans say theyve detected growing support on the issue since last months violence in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after police shot a Black man. This summers racial justice protests have been largely peaceful, but images of violent ones have received widespread attention.
Defunding police is an absolute loser with suburban voters, said GOP consultant Liesl Hickey. She said the issue is a twofer because it plays into the bigger fear of what they see as the radical left.
Still, Republicans say they must use the theme carefully.
I think Democrats are vulnerable to it, said Sam Geduldig, who advised former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. But the harder you go on it, the more it turns off some of those wealthy suburban voters in some districts we need.
In 31 House races where Democrats have aired ads and Bustos organization is helping them, spots in 28 contests make health care arguments, according to committee figures.
One attacks Republican Nick Freitas, challenging Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger outside Richmond, Virginia. It criticizes him for accepting insurance company contributions and favoring repeal of Obamas health care law, even when the pandemic means Virginians couldnt be more in need of coverage. Freitas has said he thinks government intrusion into health care doesnt help.
Democrats have run health care themed ads against Republicans in numerous states including Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska and Texas. According to data from the ad-tracking company Kantar/CMAG, Bidens campaign has run a spot in around 30 states. In it, he promises to protect peoples coverage the same way I would my own.
So far, Republicans have used law and order themes more selectively, including in New York and Nebraska. In Michigan, GOP Rep. Fred Upton has run a spot criticizing Democratic opponent Jon Hoadley, a state lawmaker who opposed a resolution urging local governments to not defund police departments.
The political extremists have gone too far, the ad says as protesters smash storefronts. On his campaign website, Hoadley says he favors changes such as training officers to avoid racial bias.
In a coastal district south of Los Angeles, Republican challenger Michelle Steel has talked about taxes, while Democratic Rep. Harley Rouda has focused on health care and prescription drug costs.
Recent Trump ads have largely emphasized restoring the economy, not blazing buildings. Many House GOP ads also use other issues, accusing Democrats of backing tax increases and linking them to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a favorite foil.
Even so, according to Kantar/CMAG, one Trump campaign spot thats run this month in a half-dozen states accuses Biden of wanting to defund the police.
The radical left has taken over Joe Biden, the announcer says as protesters batter windows. It adds, Dont let them take over America.
Biden has repeatedly said he opposes defunding the police.
-
Salter reported from OFallon, Missouri. Associated Press writers Amy Taxin in Los Angeles and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.
See original here:
Law and order vs. health care as Dems, GOP vie for suburbs - The Associated Press
- How good is fish for your diet? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What foods have both fiber and protein? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is There Evidence That Acupuncture Works? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What are some good fiber foods? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Can Green Tea fight HIV infection? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Quality of GNC Supplements - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- The Gene Smart Diet - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Tips for eating in a vegetarian lifestyle - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Regarding the Starting of a new diet regimen - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Thoughts on Dropping Weight - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What do doctors think about vitamin E supplements? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- What herbs or supplements are commonly used for depression? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is there a safe way to lose a lot of weight? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Diets that promise you will lose weight - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Are Fish Toxins Linked to Diabetes? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Can Plastic Surgery Help Migraines? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Weight Loss Surgery Eradicates Diabetes Symptoms - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Found: A Gene That Controls Fat Cells - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Sugars and Starches, what's the difference? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Improving your health with a serving of nuts? - November 8th, 2009 [November 8th, 2009]
- Is Your Diet Causing You To Be Depressed? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Placebo Effect: Magnetic Bracelet Therapy - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Does serotonin promote sleep? - December 13th, 2009 [December 13th, 2009]
- Decreased energy levels - Overeating, Sleep, Nutrition - February 1st, 2010 [February 1st, 2010]
- When will the body begin to cannibalize muscle tissue? - February 7th, 2010 [February 7th, 2010]
- Foods that are high in antioxidants - February 7th, 2010 [February 7th, 2010]
- Editorial: Reduce health care costs by cutting administrative overhead - April 1st, 2012 [April 1st, 2012]
- Health Care Winners: Centene, Onyxx - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Dan Morain: Nurses union puts politics ahead of health - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- What's next if Obamacare falls? - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Global Managed Health Care Services Industry - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Immigration Fight Echoes Health-Care Case at High Court - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Medical Centers Lead Workplace Wellness Effort - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- The next health care overhaul? Look to employers - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Capital BlueCross Hosts Community Health Care Forums Focused on Managing Costs While Maintaining Quality - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- County committee to look at area health care - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- President Obama Calls on Students to Tell Congress: #DontDoubleMyRate - Video - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Sen. Coburn: Competition in Health Care to Allocate Resources - Video - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- Jesse Kelly health care - Video - April 25th, 2012 [April 25th, 2012]
- PHC Vision Statement (short version) - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- The Bioeconomy Blueprint Panel - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Providence Health Care's Vision Statement - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Department of Health and Human Services: Minority Health Blogger Townhall - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Health care worker accused of stealing identities of brain i - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Health Care Reform, Part 1 of 3 | KYVE Insiders Roundtable - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Health Care Reform: The ACA and Beyond - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Is Broccoli Like Health Insurance? - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Did Obama make a mistake on health care? - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- How Democrats Lie About Health Care - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Toobin on Health Care: This was a "judicial hissy-fit" - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- President Obama says health care law will stand - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Obama Defends Health Care Law From 'Judicial Activism' - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Obama Healthcare Individual Mandate - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- President Obama attacks Supreme Court on health care - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Raw Audio: High Court Dissects Health Care Act - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Health care on trial - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Final Day of Health Care Law Arguments Before Supreme Court - Video - April 30th, 2012 [April 30th, 2012]
- Feds to put up $1.9B for Oregon health overhaul - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Scuttling health care act will freeze Medicare, White House warns - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- U.S. Health Care Spending High, But Quality Lags: Report - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Yes, the Health-Care Mandate Is About Liberty - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Health center gets $1M federal grant - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Health-care reform panel considers exchange options for Va. - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Hmong health care gap focus of Healthy House dinner - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Walsh-led health bill to be unveiled - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- Ontario health system confusing for ailing seniors, study finds - May 4th, 2012 [May 4th, 2012]
- 'Health Care Deserts' More Common in Black Neighborhoods - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- With federal money, Oregon kicks health care reform into high gear - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Nurse practitioners tackling more 'doctor' tasks - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Konza Prairie Health Center Receives $4.5 Million Grant - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Alberta wages hurting Sask. health care - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- House releases plan to cut growth of Massachusetts health spending in half - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Mass. House Will Unveil Bill Seeking To Rein In Health Costs - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- President Obama Welcomes the Kentucky Wildcats - Video - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- President Obama Speaks on College Affordability - Video - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- My First Job: Gene Sperling - Video - May 5th, 2012 [May 5th, 2012]
- Health-care costs worry near-retirees - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- Massachusetts Institutes Health-Care Price Controls. Is America Next? - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- Massachusetts Moves Toward Health-Care Price Controls. Is America Next? - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]
- GOP plan boosts Pentagon, cuts social programs - May 7th, 2012 [May 7th, 2012]