The High Cost of Voting for ObamaCare

We find that a vote for health reform was very costly for Democrats, reducing reelection margins by six to eight percentage points. This cost at least thirteen House Democrats their jobs.

In a district where Obama got 40% of the vote in 2008, a Democratic representative would have a 54% chance of retaining her seat if she opposed health reform, but only a 19% chance if she supported it.

See how voting for the PPACA impacted politicians’ probability of being re-elected.

Comments (4)

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  1. Ken says:

    I think the Democrats are going to lose the Senate next time around over Obama Care.

  2. Devon Herrick says:

    I don’t recall the exact number, but nearly two-dozen Senate Democrats are up for re-election in 2012. That is nearly double the number of Republican Senators battling to keep their seats. It does not look good for Senate Democrats.

  3. Vicki says:

    It’s the voters exacting sweet revenge.

  4. Nancy says:

    This is easy to understand. The politicians ignored their own voters at the town hall meetings during the summer before they passed Obama Care. Then the voters ignored them on election day.