The Republican Governor’s Association released a new ad on Monday criticizing South Carolina gubernatorial candiate Vincent Sheheen for supporting the ObamaCare expansion of Medicaid in his state.
“Remember this guy, Sheheen? Well first, Sheheen supported much of Obamacare. But then he refused to support the lawsuit to stop it,” the 30-second ad says. “Now, Vincent Sheheen wants to use Obamacare for a $2 billion expansion of Medicaid in South Carolina.”
{mosads}“Vincent Sheheen’s Plan: Even More ObamaCare,” the ad says.
Republicans are trying to make ObamaCare an issue across the country in this year’s midterm elections, and the Medicaid expansion has been a local issue in a number of states.
But the politics are complicated because some Republican governors, including RGA chairman New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have backed the exapnsion.
In addition to Christie, seven Republican governors have so far opted in to ObamaCare’s Medicaid component including Jan Brewer (Ariz.), Terry Branstad (Iowa), Rick Snyder (Mich.), Brian Sandoval (Nev.), Susana Martinez (N.M.), Jack Dalrymple (N.D.) and John Kasich (Ohio).
In South Carolina, GOP Gov. Nikki Haley opposed the expanion, and the RGA apparently beleives it can be an effective issue against Sheheen, a state senator who Haley defeated in a close race in 2010.