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Connecting today’s news with the research & opinion you need.

Turning Texas Blue?

What to Know: Democratic candidates are arguing over which can “turn Texas blue,” converting a solidly Republican state into a Democratic stronghold.

The TPPF Take: It’s more important than ever to ensure that Texas elections are fair and free of fraud.

“As part of the unfolding full-court press in Texas, some 1 million mail-in ballot applications were mailed out in January to voters by the state’s Democratic Party,” says TPPF’s Chuck DeVore for Fox News. “Aggressively banking absentee ballots is a key part of many election contests around the nation. Sometimes campaign workers even ‘help’ the voters to do so — though in Texas, that’s illegal unless the helper is a close relative.”

Medicare-for-None

What to Know: Sen. Bernie Sanders succeeded in making single-payer health care—Medicare-for-All—into a mainstream political position for the Democrats. Even the most moderate proposal by former Mayor Pete Buttigieg includes “Medicare for all who want it”—a public option.

The TPPF Take: The problem is that a public option will turn into health care for none.

“A public option would crowd out those in our health care system who need its services the most,” says TPPF’s Elizabeth O’Connor. “It could increase costs to those who do not want to be insured but are forced to be, via a government mandate. We are a country that values choices, and this would ultimately remove those from our health care system.”

Not-So-Happy Birthday

What to Know: The Affordable Care Act is turning 10 in March.

The TPPF Take: States like Texas should continue to challenge the ACA in court.

“Having been in place for a decade now, the ACA is firmly entrenched politically,” says TPPF’s Robert Henneke, who is arguing the Texas v. Azar case on behalf of individual plaintiffs. “So it’s even more important to keep up the challenge in court. Health care remains high on the list of the concerns of voters—we can use this time to show there are alternatives to the ACA that don’t involve giving even more decision-making power to the government.”