Democrats target ‘vulnerable’ Republican senators ahead of high-stakes health care showdown

FIRST ON FOX: Hours before the Senate holds high-stakes votes on dueling Democratic and Republican health care tax credit measures, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is launching a new ad campaign targeting four Republican senators it considers vulnerable as they seek re-election next year.

The campaign, shared first with Fox News Digital on Thursday, takes aim at Republican Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, Jon Husted of Ohio, and Dan Sullivan of Alaska for what the DNC charges are their repeated votes against extending enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, which could cause health care premiums to skyrocket for millions of Americans.

The DNC is targeting the senators through digital takeovers of hometown newspapers in the four senators’ states, as well as through additional digital ads. The spots also call out GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Bernie Moreno of Ohio.

Over 20 million Americans currently rely on the credits to lower the price of the health insurance they receive through the ACA, which is also known as Obamacare.

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Democrats have repeatedly spotlighted health care costs and the expiring tax credits as part of their full court press this year on affordability, using the issue as a cudgel to bash Republicans. The party’s messaging helped boost it to decisive victories last month in the 2025 elections as well as over performances in a slew of special elections this year.

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“Today’s Senate vote to extend the ACA tax credits could be the difference between life and death for many Americans. Over 20 million Americans will see their health care premiums skyrocket next year if Susan Collins, John Cornyn, Jon Husted, and Dan Sullivan do not stand with working families and vote to extend these lifesaving credits,” DNC chair Ken Martin charged in a statement.

Neither of the dueling Obamacare proposals are expected to pass.

Senate Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., argue that their extension of the enhanced Obamacare premium credit subsidies is the best option lawmakers can take to prevent healthcare premiums on the exchange from skyrocketing.

Senate Republicans don’t want to extend the subsidies, which are set to expire by the end of this year, without reforms. They contend that the program funnels money directly to insurance companies rather than people using the marketplace, and that the enhanced credits are riddled with fraud and abuse.

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The conference finally landed on a proposal earlier this week from Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the chairs of the Senate health and finance panels, that would abandon the enhanced credits completely for health savings accounts (HSAs), and seed the accounts with between $1,000 and $1,500 depending on age, among several other tweaks that are priorities for the GOP.

But the Cassidy and Crapo plan is one of several options on the table for Republicans. Collins also has a proposal, in conjunction with Moreno that has caught the attention of some Senate Democrats because it would extend the subsidies for another two years while placing income caps at $200,000 per household and eliminates zero-cost premiums as a fraud preventative measure. 

And Husted also has an Obamacare proposal on deck, like Collins’, that would extend the subsidies for two years, adds income caps and eliminates zero-cost premiums. However, his plan also includes more stringent enforcement of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer dollars from funding abortions, that is a non-starter for Senate Democrats. 

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Whether their proposals actually get action on the Senate floor before the deadline remains in the air, given that next week will be dominated by the annual, must-pass Senate defense bill and President Donald Trump’s nominees.

The newspaper digital takeovers by the DNC include the Bangor Daily News in Maine, the San Antonio Express News and San Antonio Current in Texas, the Cleveland Plain-Dealer and Medina Gazette in Ohio and the Anchorage Daily News in Alaska.