WASHINGTON _ Republicans won't have a recorded vote on leadership's health care plan but that doesn't mean their position on it won't be used against them in campaign ads in 2018.
Former National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Greg Walden, now chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, admitted as much Friday evening. "Everybody staked out their position so they'll be able to reap the benefit of that position or take the hit," he told Roll Call.
Some Republicans actually do have recorded votes that will be used against them.
"There were also 15 Republicans that are in some of the most competitive districts in America that voted yes on this bill," Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman Ben Ray Lujan said, citing votes in the four committees that considered the bill.
The DCCC blasted Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo on Friday night for voting for the bill in the Budget Committee. The two-term congressman is not on the Budget Committee; he serves on the Ways and Means Committee, where he did vote on the measure.
"Carlos Curbelo now owns this until Election Day," DCCC spokesman Cole Leiter said in a statement.
After the House passed the rule providing for consideration of the bill midday Friday, the House Democrats' campaign arm went after Virginia Republican Barbara Comstock.
"Not only is she already on the record putting the Republican repeal bill in motion, but she refused to take a final position until after it was clear the bill was dead," Leiter said. Comstock's announcement she would vote no was several hours before leadership canceled the vote.
The DCCC's attack on Comstock for being late to take a position resembled its attack against her last fall, when she waited until the "Access Hollywood" tapes to take a stand against then-candidate Donald Trump.
And it's not just in House races that the GOP health's care bill is expected to play a role. Democrats are likely to raise the issue in Senate races, like Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, where House Republicans could challenge Democratic senators next year.
"To every Republican Senate candidate _ and to those still weighing their decision whether to run or not _ we have one message for you: You own this plan," Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman David Bergstein said in a statement Friday night.
Priorities USA, the major Democratic super PAC, blasted Trump's "broken promise" that everyone would have health care if he won and vowed to tie Republicans to any efforts to dismantle the 2010 health care law.
"If Trump and the Republicans refuse now to work with Democrats to keep what works in the Affordable Care Act and make common-sense improvements where needed, we will hold them accountable for the consequences, and make sure voters know it in 2018," Priorities USA Chairman Guy Cecil said in a statement.
