Politico has a great piece about how Texas Democrats are making health care the key issue in their races. Specifically, single-payer health care:
Across the country, many Democrats are trying to minimize internal battles on health care. But Democrats in this deep red state have also watched closely races where single-payer advocates have upset centrist primary opponents. And some believe that moving left on health care will mobilize new voters in primaries —and offer a shot at winning come November.
More than half the 22 Democratic House candidates competing in the Texas primary runoff next Tuesday openly tout their support for single-payer health care. On the Senate side, Democrat Beto O'Rourke, who handily won his March primary, will face Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz built his reputation on shutting down down the government in a failed bid to stop Obamacare in 2013.O'Rourke says he supports strengthening the Affordable Care Act now but starting on a path to an eventual single-payer health system.
“One of the things that exists for us is a large, very large number of people who are progressive who are not participating in the ballot box,” said Wendy Davis, a Texas Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2014. “I’ve heard the analogy before that we aren’t trying to get people to convert from Catholicism to Baptism, but trying to get people who are Baptist to come to church.”
Pulling up Texas' entrenched Republican roots is a tough task for Democrats, and the state is unlikely to lean left anytime soon. Still, the state's Democrats face a very different political climate in 2018. For starters, GOP attacks on the Affordable Care Act resonate less with voters.
“The Republican Party in Texas took a position that was more extreme than others, vilifying anything associated with the term Obamacare,” said Mark Jones, a political science professor at Rice University in Houston. “It’s less and less effective, every year that passes from the Obama administration.”
For the first time in 25 years, Democratic candidates are running in every congressional race in Texas. Many of them, like Democrats across the country, have made health care their central campaign issue.
But Democrats in Texas believe that talking about health care gives them an even greater advantage. The state has the highest uninsured rate in the country. Its Republican attorney general is once again suing to overturn Obamacare.
And while the state remains one of 19 that hasn't expanded Medicaid, 95 percentof Democratic primary voters in March replied yes to a non-binding proposition asking if everyone in Texas should have a right to health care.
“Health care is one of our number one issues this election,” said Tariq Thowfeek, communications director for the Texas Democratic Party. “Our platform is far more progressive” than the national Democratic party's, he said.
The article not only mentioned Beto O’Roruke, it also mentions Laura Poser (D. TX-07) and Mary Street Wilson (D. TX-21) who support single-payer and are in runoff elections. Going bold is the only way to win in deep red states like Texas. We’ve tried running more moderate to conservative Democratic candidates before and the voters will always go with Republican over Republican-Lite. I say, let’s helps these Democrats continue to go bold instead of going home. Click below to donate and get involved with O’Rourke, Poser and Street Wilson’s campaigns:
Beto O’Rourke
Laura Moser
Mary Street Wilson