Health care driving voters in midterms, election analyst says

Election analyst Kyle Kondik on Thursday said that health care will be a driving issue for voters going into November’s midterms. 

“Health care generally is higher up, and it ranks higher for Democrats than for Republicans,” Kondik, managing editor of “Sabato’s Crystal Ball,” told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball on “Rising.” 

“The one particular piece of that, you’re starting to see this in the Senate races, in particular, is this pre-existing conditions issue because Democrats see it as a way to attack Republicans, and say, ‘Hey, Republicans are trying to take away these pre-existing conditions protections.’ Republicans are aggressively fighting back against it,” he said.

Kondik’s comments come one day after President Trump slammed “Medicare for all” in an op-ed for USA Today. 

Trump likened the proposed government program that is catching on with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to radical socialism, saying it would threaten all senior citizens. 

Democrats have been working to make health care a central part of the election strategy. 

Senate Democrats sought to overturn short-term health care plans that do not provide coverage for preexisting conditions on Wednesday, but the measure failed in a 50-50 vote. 

In bringing more attention to health care, Democrats are hoping to turn attention away from the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, which has energized Republican voters. 

A recent American Barometer survey, conducted by Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company found Democrats leading Republican by six-points on the generic congressional ballot going into the midterms. 

— Julia Manchester