Washington, D.C. — This week, voters catapulted Democrats into power after Donald Trump
and Republicans took a wrecking ball to American health care to pay for tax breaks for
billionaires and big corporations. This Democratic health care wave election was powered by
health care champions like Congressman Mark Pocan and Congresswoman Gwen Moore, who
consistently place affordable access to health care at the top of their priorities and fired back
against Donald Trump and Republicans’ relentless attacks on health care in service of billionaire
tax breaks.

Pocan, Moore, and Democratic candidates up and down the ballot won the most dramatic
health care election since 2018. By holding Republicans accountable for their health care crisis
and championing a path forward to expand coverage, lower costs, and rein in the abuses and
price gouging of pharmaceutical companies, Democrats won on what Americans have
consistently cited as the #1 concern during this election cycle.

“Congressman Pocan and Congresswoman Moore are true health care champions who will
soon play leading roles in a new majority after Democrats dominated Republicans in what was
clearly a health care election,” said Joe Zepecki, Protect Our Care Wisconsin State Director.
“Republicans really thought they could get away with slashing Medicaid by $1 trillion and ripping
away health care tax credits more than 20 million Americans relied on to afford health care, all
to pay for tax breaks for billionaires. They messed around and found out, and now Democrats
like will take the majority with a mandate to fix what Trump broke and to go even farther to
expand coverage and lower costs so that every American has access to the care they need at a
price they can afford.”

A QUICK LOOK: How Health Care Came to Dominate 2026
● AD SPENDING: Health care is a defining part of the political conversation among
candidates regardless of party affiliation. The Cook Political Report’s Battleground Issue Tracker, which analyzes campaign advertising across competitive House and Senate races nationwide, finds that health care is the number one issue in Senate advertising and the number two issue in House advertising, behind only taxes. According to the Washington Post, Democrats have spent $400 million on health care ads — more than
1.5 times as much as Republicans on the issue.

● HEADLINES: Health care has dominated headlines about the election, documenting
how hospital closures, rising costs, and Medicaid cuts are at the center of the political
landscape.
○ The Bulwark: Why 2026 Is a Health Care Election
○ Vox: Why healthcare has become such a big problem for Republicans
○ Politico: Medicaid cuts haunt Republicans in battleground states
○ AP: She voted for Trump every time. Then came cancer and the bills
○ The Hill: Republicans struggle for an answer to Democrats’ Medicaid attacks
○ The American Prospect: New Medicaid Requirements Galvanizing Dems in
Battleground States

● POLLING: Voters have told us loud and clear that affordability is their top concern, and
health care costs have overtaken food, housing, and gas prices as Americans’ top
financial concern. Recent polling shows just how far Republicans have fallen behind —
what Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy called “a warning light flashing
red for the GOP scrambling to stay in power.”

  • The Hill: Economy, healthcare, Iran war top voters’ concerns ahead of midterms:
    Gallup
  • KFF: Poll: Cost of Health Care and Gas Top Voters’ Midterm Concerns;
    Democrats Hold Significant Advantage on Health Care Costs and Cost of Living
  • Politico: In competitive House races, Medicaid cuts are a potent issue,
    Democratic pollster finds

● EXPERTS: In the New York Times, GOP advisor Joel White admitted that Republicans’
message on health care was “falling flat.” Democratic strategist Celinda Lake said: “After
spending much of 2026 citing the high price of gas and groceries as proof of an
“affordability crisis,” it makes sense for Democrats to build their closing argument around
health costs. “A lot of races are finishing on it,” she said. “It’s the No. 1 cost-of-living
issue where Democrats have the biggest advantage.”