Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., told Newsmax on Wednesday that the blue state election results on Tuesday came as no surprise — except, perhaps, to the pollsters who once again missed the mark.
Johnson joined Newsmax's "Newsline" just hours after Democrats cruised to expected wins in cities and states they were expected to — New York City, Virginia, and New Jersey. The only real surprise, he said, was how far "off" the polls were, with races portrayed as close turning out to be decisive Democrat victories.
"None of these votes were a surprise to me," Johnson said. "I think it was kind of surprising that the polls, again, were so off. They were so wrong to say some of these races were close when they weren't."
The Wisconsin Republican said even in states like Virginia — where Democrats typically dominate — the dynamics were predictable for anyone paying attention to the impact of the shutdown.
"Virginia, you know, a state that has a lot of government employees, they are obviously impacted by that," Johnson said. "I think Republicans all recognize it's about affordability. It's about what do we need to do to bring down insurance premiums, healthcare costs."
Johnson said that one of the biggest drivers of voter discontent remains healthcare costs, which he blamed squarely on the Affordable Care Act.
"Obamacare hasn't done what Democrats promised," he told Newsmax. "It's failed miserably. And it's being covered up — masked — by hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies meant to hide that failure."
Johnson previewed a Senate hearing he will chair Thursday examining what he called the "damage done" by Obamacare to Medicaid and the broader healthcare system.
"It's literally made it more difficult for traditional Medicaid recipients — disabled children — to get care," Johnson said. "Providers get paid more for single adults, so they're crowding out those who need care most."
According to Johnson, Wisconsin's health insurance rates have skyrocketed since the law's passage, increasing 3.1 times the rate of inflation on Obamacare exchanges and 1.5 times for employer-sponsored coverage.
"The only reason we need these subsidies," he said, "is because Democrats are trying to make the unaffordable Obamacare more affordable.
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