Ryan Nicol
A new survey from Public Policy Polling (PPP) shows a tight contest in Florida’s 18th Congressional District, with incumbent U.S. Rep. Brian Mast leading Democratic challenger Lauren Baer by just three percentage points.
Mast gets 46 percent to Baer’s 43 percent, with 10 percent of respondents saying they were unsure.
Respondents were asked several questions regarding the ACA prior to being asked about their preference between Mast and Baer. That may have skewed their answer, which is why pollsters are encouraged to ask the ballot question prior to testing issues.
The survey was commissioned by Protect Our Care, a group which supports the preservation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
A majority of respondents, 51 percent, say they support the ACA. Just 37 percent say they oppose it, for a net approval rating of 14 percent.
When asked who they trust more to handle the issue of health care, 49 percent back Democrats and 46 percent say they favor Republicans and President Donald Trump. Only 4 percent are undecided.
But when it came to their district, voters favored Democrats by a wider margin.
A total of 49 percent of respondents say they would rather vote for a congressional candidate who is “a Democrat who supports the Affordable Care Act and wants to improve it.” That compares to 44 percent who say they’d prefer “a Republican who wants to repeal” the ACA.
Democrats have shown their intention to keep health care at the forefront of the 2018 midterms after Republicans’ failed attempt to repeal the ACA last year.
Baer released an ad back in August going after Mast for his vote in favor of Obamacare repeal.
