GOP victory in Florida may spell trouble for Democrats

Mar 13 2014

The race largely turned on the federal health care law, with the Republican candidate campaigning for its repeal and the Democrat saying it should be fixed, not abandoned.

The Associated Press/Washington Post: Florida House Race Could Be Warning For Democrats
After months of railing against President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, Republicans scored a key victory in a hard-fought congressional race that had been closely watched as a bellwether of midterm elections in November. Republican David Jolly defeated Democrat Alex Sink in a Florida special election Tuesday that largely turned on the federal health care law, with both sides using the race to audition national strategies in one of the country's few competitive swing-voting districts (3/12).

The Wall Street Journal: Republican David Jolly Wins Florida Congressional Race
The results are likely to embolden Republican candidates intent on attacking Democratic opponents over the troubled rollout of the federal health-care law. Mr. Jolly and his GOP supporters made Obamacare a centerpiece of their attacks on Ms. Sink, seeking to wed her to the law and calling for its repeal (Campo-Flores, 3/11). 

USA Today: GOP Wins Special Election For Florida House Seat
Republican David Jolly defeated Democrat Alex Sink in a hotly contested special election Tuesday for the U.S. House with a campaign in which he championed repeal of President Obama's health care law and said Sink would be a vote to advance the president's agenda (Davis, 3/11). 

Politico: Florida Loss Big Blow To Democrats' 2014 Hopes
Democrats are scrambling to launch a counteroffensive -- and if they don't come up with one fast, Tuesday's loss could foreshadow a brutal year for the party at the ballot box this fall (Isenstadt, 3/12).

Los Angeles Times: More Than $12 Million Later, Florida Voters Deliver Verdict
The topic in the spotlight all along has been President Obama's health care law, which Jolly advocates repealing. He and his allies, including GOP campaign committees, the Chamber of Commerce, the National Rifle Assn. and conservative "super PACs," pounded relentlessly at Obamacare during the campaign, hoping to stimulate a large turnout of conservative voters. Sink and her allies, including Democratic campaign committees, environmental groups, unions and women's advocacy groups, pushed back with ads saying that the health law should be fixed, not abandoned (Lauter, 3/11).