ATLANTA
As President Donald Trump’s second term unfolds, Democrats are presented with a range of political openings—from immigration crackdowns and lingering inflation to institutional clashes and diplomatic friction.
Yet many in the party are sharpening their focus on one issue in particular: health care. Once a political liability, it has now become a foundation of Democratic strategy, one they believe can help them regain control of Congress in the midterms rather than chasing the daily headlines from the White House.
Republicans last year cut roughly $1 trillion over a decade from Medicaid and allowed COVID-era subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans to expire—moves that Democrats are turning into the centerpiece of their campaign message.
Across the country, Democratic candidates are filming ads outside struggling rural hospitals, spotlighting families facing spiking insurance premiums, and sharing personal health care stories. The party aims to frame the election as a choice over pocketbook security and access to care.
In Georgia, one of the most closely watched Senate battlegrounds, Sen. Jon Ossoff is expected to highlight those challenges at a campaign rally Saturday in suburban Atlanta. His race is seen as a test of whether the party’s health care-centered strategy can hold in a competitive state.
By James Kisoo
