A recent Marquette University Law School poll shows 52 percent of respondents feel Obamacare should be kept and improved. Only 18 percent said the Affordable Care Act should be repealed and not replaced.
That’s a stunning split in Wisconsin, which is narrowly divided between Republicans and Democrats.
Only 8 percent of the 801 people who answered the poll questions say Obamacare should be continued as it is. Another 18 percent said they want the law repealed but with an alternative. The poll was conducted in late March while the initial signup deadline was approaching.
Republican politicians, almost to a person, have repeatedly called for the repeal of the health care act. It has been one of the signal accomplishments of Democrats under President Barack Obama. The Marquette Poll did not ask how the law could be improved. That’s the challenge for both parties.
How will the Obamacare issue affect future elections? Respondents to the Marquette poll were split into two groups. The first group was asked how it would react to candidates who supported Obamacare during the campaign. Of that group, 25 percent replied that a pro-Obamacare stance would more likely attract their vote, while 28 percent said it would make them less likely to vote for a candidate. Another 45 percent said it would not make any difference to them.
The second group of respondents was asked its reaction to candidates who campaigned for repeal of Obamacare. Some 24 percent said it would make them more likely to support such a candidate, while 35 percent said it would make them less likely to vote for the person. About 39 percent of this half said it wouldn’t make any difference.
This column was excerpted with permission from the Wisconsin Newspaper Association’s State Capitol Newsletter, a weekly column written by veteran Capitol correspondent Matt Pommer.
