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The Senate voted Thursday on two competing health care plans, with neither party’s proposal securing the 60 votes needed to advance. But the votes give both parties plenty of fodder for political messaging.
So continues more than a decade of political fights over the Affordable Care Act.
Many Republicans have spent years maligning former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement. They say it has made health care unaffordable and oppose providing more money to subsidize insurance premiums under the law. But a number of moderate lawmakers argue they need to do something to prevent premium hikes for plans sold on the ACA marketplaces next year.
“There is perhaps no single policy measure that would have a more dramatic impact on affordability in the year ahead than doing something about the expiration of these subsidies,” California GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley told our colleague Sandhya Raman.
Both parties have been talking about affordability, as the cost of living, for now, looks poised to become the top campaign issue for 2026. President Donald Trump tried to sell his economic message in a Pennsylvania swing district this week, and, as Roll Call’s John T. Bennett reports, he promised major economic growth in the year ahead and blamed Democrats for stubbornly high costs.
That may be what’s prompting some members to try to force votes on the enhanced ACA insurance subsidies, which are set to expire on Dec. 31.
Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick and New Jersey Democrat Josh Gottheimer have each filed discharge petitions seeking to force votes on bills that would, among other things, extend the enhanced tax credits for health insurance premiums beyond the end of this year. A discharge petition requires 218 signatures to force a vote on the House floor, and while both currently have some Republican support, it’s not clear whether all Democrats would add their names to force votes.
Starting gate
Spotlight on Massie: Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie has grown accustomed to decisive victories for his safe Republican seat, but he’s facing the toughest fight of his political career against Trump-backed GOP challenger Ed Gallrein. The May primary will test whether the president’s most prominent intraparty critic can survive a multimillion-dollar onslaught in a district that Trump carried by 36 points in 2024.
Texas two-step: Candidate filing closed this week in the Lone Star State, where elections are being reshaped by redistricting, retirements and realignments. We have a handy guide on the key races to watch next year. They include the Senate race, which was roiled by a last-minute shake-up that saw former Rep. Colin Allred drop out of the Democratic primary and Rep. Jasmine Crockett enter it. Allred is seeking a House comeback instead.
Saying goodbye: Two Texas Democrats announced they would not seek reelection to the House next year after the Supreme Court’s sanctioning of the new Republican-drawn congressional map. Rep. Lloyd Doggett is calling it quits on a near-50-year political career, while Rep. Marc Veasey declared a bid for Tarrant County judge.
High consequences: The high court’s decision to allow the new Texas map will intensify the ongoing redistricting arms race, multiple election law experts told our colleague Michael Macagnone.
Expanding the map: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this week added several Republican-held seats to its list of 2026 targets: California’s 48th District (held by Rep. Darrell Issa); Florida’s 15th (Laurel Lee); North Carolina’s 3rd (Greg Murphy); and North Carolina’s 11th (Chuck Edwards). The group also added two open seats currently held by Democrats: Texas’ redrawn 35th District and Maine’s 2nd.
Comeback bids: Democratic former Rep. Tom Perriello announced a campaign for Virginia’s 5th District, a seat he held for one term before being swept out in the 2010 tea party wave. As it’s drawn, the seat, currently held by Republican John McGuire, favors the GOP. But the district is one of several Virginia seats that could become bluer if commonwealth legislators end up drawing a new congressional map next year. In neighboring Maryland, Democratic former Rep. David Trone, who unsuccessfully ran for Senate last year, is challenging his House successor, freshman Rep. April McClain Delaney, in the 6th District primary.
Another NYC primary: New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is challenging Rep. Dan Goldman for the Democratic nomination in the state’s 10th District. Lander quickly won endorsements from several leading progressives, including New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Indiana redistricting: All eyes are on the Indiana Senate after the state House last week approved a new congressional map that aims to deliver Hoosiers an all-Republican delegation in Congress. The state Senate is expected to vote on redistricting later Thursday as Trump ratchets up the pressure on Republicans who oppose the mid-decade redraw.
Money talks: An effort to overturn limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with federal candidates got a mixed reception during oral arguments at the Supreme Court this week, Macagnone reports.
ICYMI
More good news for Dems: Democrat Eileen Higgins will be Miami’s first female mayor after defeating Trump-backed Emilio González in a Tuesday runoff. She’s also the first Democrat elected mayor of Florida’s second-largest city in nearly three decades. And in Georgia, Democrats’ streak of overperformances in special elections continued, with small-business owner Eric Gisler flipping a Northeast Georgia state House seat that Trump carried by double digits last year.
Primary colors: Several Democratic incumbents have drawn primary opponents over the past week. In Colorado, progressive state Sen. Julie Gonzales is challenging Sen. John Hickenlooper. In North Carolina’s 4th District, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam is taking on Rep. Valerie Foushee in a rematch of their 2022 contest, which Foushee won by 9 points. There could be another rematch in California, where former state Assemblymember Hector De La Torre launched a bid for the redrawn 41st District against Rep. Linda T. Sánchez, who defeated him in a 2002 primary. And in New York, state Assemblymember Amanda Septimo is the latest Democrat to challenge third-term incumbent Ritchie Torres in the 15th District.
Dropping out: In Virginia, Navy reservist James Osyf ended his campaign for the battleground 2nd District, a day before Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger endorsed former Rep. Elaine Luria’s bid to reclaim the Hampton Roads seat. And in Kentucky’s 6th District, state Rep. Deanna Gordon is dropping out of the Republican primary to succeed Rep. Andy Barr and will instead seek reelection to the legislature.
Battleground launches: California Democrat Corinna Contreras, a member of the Vista City Council, entered the growing primary for the 48th District, which became more favorable to Democrats after redistricting. Republican incumbent Darrell Issa had contemplated moving to Texas to run for a safely red seat but opted to stay put, telling The Associated Press he was “not giving up on California.” In Nevada, dermatologist Jeff Gunter, a former ambassador to Iceland, is running for Congress again — this time against Democratic Rep. Susie Lee in the 3rd District. Gunter lost the GOP primary for Senate last year. And North Carolina attorney Ashley-Nicole Russell joined the crowded field seeking to defeat Democratic Rep. Don Davis in the 1st District, which was redrawn to become more favorable to the GOP.
Guv roundup: New York Republicans will have a competitive primary for governor next year, with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman launching his campaign this week, a month after Rep. Elise Stefanik entered the race. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is seeking a second full term. In California, tech entrepreneur Jon Slavet is the latest Republican to join the packed gubernatorial race to succeed term-limited Gov. Gavin Newsom. In Minnesota, the Republican primary to take on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz grew Thursday, with the entry of MyPillow CEO and longtime Trump ally Mike Lindell. And in neighboring Wisconsin, the Democratic gubernatorial primary gained another candidate with Joel Brennan, a former member of retiring Gov. Tony Evers’ cabinet, joining the race.
Dem endorsements: The campaign arm of the center-left New Democrat Coalition rolled out new endorsements this week, including former Utah Rep. Ben McAdams (#UT01), California state Assemblymember Jasmeet Bains (#CA22), former Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez (#AZ02) and Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott (#IA03). The group is also backing Texas Rep. Julie Elizabeth Johnson, who faces a primary challenge in Texas’ 33rd District from former Rep. Colin Allred, who was a New Dem member when he served in the House. Meanwhile, Welcome PAC, which backs centrist Democrats running in districts that Trump won, also announced new endorsements: farmer Jamie Ager (#NC11), Colorado state Rep. Shannon Bird (#CO08), former Iowa state Rep. Christina Bohannan (#IA01), Trone Garriott, Tejano singer Bobby Pulido (#TX15) and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (#TX34).
Backing off: New York City Council Member Chi Ossé will not launch a primary challenge to Hakeem Jeffries, the top House Democrat, after New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani sought to block his burgeoning campaign. Ossé had formed an exploratory committee but never formally launched a campaign.
#GA14: Georgia State Sen. Colton Moore has launched a bid for Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s seat, declaring himself “100 percent pro-Trump.” Greene, a longtime MAGA stalwart who recently broke with the president, is expected to resign on Jan. 5.
#MISEN: Michigan Senate hopeful Rep. Haley Stevens filed an article of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., accusing him of undermining public health and abusing his authority as health secretary. One of Stevens’ rivals for the Democratic Senate nomination, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, slammed the move as “political theater.”
Redistricting roundup: Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins said the state’s new congressional map would go into effect despite petitioners submitting more than 300,000 signatures in an effort to put the map on the 2026 ballot. Hoskins’ decision is sure to end up before the courts, the Missouri Independent reports.
Delayed deadline: State lawmakers in Utah voted to postpone the filing deadline for congressional candidates to give Republicans more time to appeal a district court judge’s redistricting decision, which resulted in the creation of a safe Democratic seat.
Nathan’s notes
The latest round of race rating changes by Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales brought good news for House Democrats. Sixteen of the 17 rating changes favor the party.
As we head into the midterm year, multiple signs, including historical trends and consistent overperformances in special and regular elections, point to a friendly political environment for Democrats, Nathan writes.
What we’re reading
Confronting Democrats: The New York Times profiles Jennifer Welch, the former Bravo star turned left-wing podcaster from Oklahoma who “appeals to the mainstream liberal, angers the Fox News viewer and thrills the dirtbag left” by pushing Democrats to take more progressive stances.
NC FITN? Former Biden spokesman Andrew Bates and veteran Republican operative Doug Heye joined in an op-ed for The (Durham) Herald-Sun to explain why their home state of North Carolina should host the first primary in the 2028 presidential contest.
#ILSEN: Illinois Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi’s Senate campaign sent fundraising emails appearing to be authored by Rep. Ted Lieu, a fellow Democrat who hasn’t weighed in on the competitive primary, NBC News reported. Meanwhile, the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Krishnamoorthi, a prodigious fundraiser, has accepted more than $90,000 in contributions from donors who have also supported Trump.
Kim’s power play: New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim is taking on his own party back home, saying he will support a challenger to Democratic state Sen. Jim Beach when he’s up for reelection in 2027 and will recruit primary opponents against other Democrats who oppose anti-corruption measures, the New Jersey Globe reports. It’s a flex from Kim, who last year led the charge to overturn the state’s “party line” ballot design while running for Senate.
Ain’t no Sunshine yet: Florida Democrats are on a high after winning the Miami mayor’s race this week, but the party still faces serious headwinds in their quest to make gains in the onetime battleground state, Politico reports.
The count: 9
That’s how many House members from Texas are either retiring or running for another office next year.
Three of the nine are Democrats, and all made their announcements in the wake of last week’s Supreme Court ruling green-lighting the new GOP-drawn map, which could yield Republicans up to five additional seats.
The three departing Democrats will combine for 50 years of House experience at the end of their current terms, led by Doggett, the dean of the Lone Star State delegation who was first elected in 1994, and Veasey, who has represented his Fort Worth-area district since 2013. The third member, Crockett, is running for Senate.
The six departing Republicans can claim a combined 42 years of House service through the end of this cycle, with more than half of that total credited to retiring Rep. Michael McCaul, who was first elected in 2004.
— by Roll Call’s Ryan Kelly
Coming up
Next week marks the final time the House and Senate are scheduled to be in session for legislative business this year before lawmakers break for the Christmas recess.
Photo finish
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The post At the Races: Another health care election? appeared first on Roll Call.
