Wis. Gubernatorial Candidates Spar Over Abortion
Elsewhere, races in Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts and Oregon highlight health care issues -- like Medicaid, prescription drugs and attracting health care technology firms.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Abortion Stances Take Turn In Spotlight Of Governor's Race
Abortion took center stage Monday in the race for governor, with a group releasing an ad noting Gov. Scott Walker opposes abortion in cases of incest and rape and Walker responding with a spot saying an abortion bill he signed last year was meant to improve patient safety. ... Walker approved the law mentioned in both ads in July 2013. It required women seeking abortions to get ultrasounds and mandated that doctors performing the procedure must have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where they do their work. Abortion providers sued over the admitting privileges requirement and within days U.S. District Judge William Conley blocked that provision of the law. The requirement remains stalled as Conley considers his final decision on whether it violates the constitutional right to access abortion (Marley, 10/6).
The Washington Post: Post Poll: Anthony Brown Leads Larry Hogan By 9 Points In Maryland Governor’s Race
Maryland voters say they trust Brown more than Hogan on education, health care and social issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. Brown has trumpeted plans to expand pre-kindergarten offerings and is airing ads that portray Hogan as outside the mainstream on social issues (Wagner and Craighill, 10/6).
The Wall Street Journal: Maine Governor’s Race Serves As Referendum On Welfare
A sustained push to trim Maine’s welfare rolls -- arguably the most divisive effort of its kind in the country -- has emerged as a prominent test for both parties’ positions on spending for the poor. Republican Gov. Paul LePage describes the cuts he has made to food stamps, Medicaid and cash-assistance programs as both a budget-cutting exercise and a kick-in-the-pants to many of Maine’s low-income workers. But underscoring how deeply the welfare issue resonates among voters here, both of his two challengers in the three-way race have their own plans to overhaul government programs for the less-well-off (Paletta, 10/6).
Boston Globe: Baker, Coakley Campaign At Biotechnology Forum
The major-party candidates for governor sought to win over life-sciences professionals at a forum in Cambridge on Monday. But neither discussed specific ways they would help the growing industry that represents companies developing treatments for disease. Republican Charlie Baker, the former chief of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, took a conversational tone, showing off his health care chops. He vowed as governor to push health care providers to share more information about the costs of medical services. … Martha Coakley, the Democratic candidate, said her office has done “groundbreaking” work on health care costs, but talked more about her broader commitment to growing the economy by spending on infrastructure, schools, and workforce training (McCluskey, 10/6).
(Portland) Oregonian: Dennis Richardson's Economic Plan: More International Trade, A New Highway And Unapproved Drugs For Terminally Ill
While Rep. Dennis Richardson hit the road as part of his Freedom Ride motorcycle rally Monday, his campaign released an economic plan that aims to "reboot Oregon's economy, reform its education system and restore trust in state government." … The seven-point plan calls for a number of issues the Republican has discussed before, including creating a lieutenant governor role to increase Oregon's international trade and supporting the Morrow Pacific project to increase coal exports. But there are a few new ones, including a plan to provide terminally ill patients with drugs developed in Oregon that haven't yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Gunderson, 10/6).
And a poll says most Californians support giving health coverage to undocumented immigrants --
Kaiser Health News: Capsules: Poll: Californians Support Health Coverage For Undocumented Immigrants
A majority of the state’s voters support extending current health insurance programs to all low-income Californians, including undocumented immigrants, according to a new statewide poll released today (Aliferis, 10/6).
