Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska is frantically attempting to undo damage from his party-line votes gutting provisions of the Affordable Care Act — voting twice with Senate Democrats on health provisions in what political analysts characterize as too little, too late damage control as he falls behind in his re-election bid. According to reporting from The Hill, Sullivan voted for an amendment sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), opposing any funding bill that failed to lower out-of-pocket healthcare costs. He also voted for another amendment sponsored by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) addressing insurers delaying or denying care. However, Alaska political analyst John-Henry Heckendorn suggested the strategic pivot is unlikely to repair the political damage from Sullivan’s consistent party-line voting on healthcare issues.
“Given how many times he has voted for legislation or amendments that would either reduce healthcare subsidies for Alaskans or otherwise increase healthcare costs, the damage has largely been done,” Heckendorn told The Hill’s Joseph Choi.
“It’s one thing to vote on your principles. It’s another thing to follow the party line until you feel like you’re in danger and then try to cover your tracks,” he added. Healthcare is proving to be a potent issue in the race. Alaska has some of the highest healthcare costs in the country, with some of the most expensive insurance premiums. Studies show healthcare costs for Alaskans have increased by over $1,000 in the last year, the report notes.
Democratic challenger Mary Peltola, who served in the US House of Representatives, launched her Senate campaign earlier this year with direct criticism of Sullivan’s support for the GOP megabill, citing projections that it would strip healthcare coverage from millions of Americans. Despite most election forecasters still favoring Sullivan, the race has tightened dramatically. Peltola outraised Sullivan in the first quarter and is now beating him in recent polling — leading by nearly 7 percentage points in a late April poll by Alaska Survey Research, The Hill is reporting.
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