Pro-Mark Begich Ad Touts Obamacare Success Story

Group Backing Dem Senator Touts Obamacare Success Story

The Affordable Care Act remains deeply unpopular across the conservative terrain of Alaska, but a super PAC supporting Democratic Sen. Mark Begich's reelection isn't shying away from touting the health care law's success stories.

The pro-Begich group Put Alaska First released an ad Thursday titled "Beat," in which breast cancer survivor Lisa Keller notes Obamacare enabled her to get health insurance despite the pre-existing condition.

"I was lucky I beat cancer, but the insurance companies still denied me health insurance just because of a pre-existing condition," Keller says in the ad. "I now have health insurance again because of Mark Begich. Because he fought the insurance companies, so that we no longer have to."

Watch the ad above.

The 30-second spot will run statewide on both broadcast and cable stations for a week. The payment for the ad is an independent expenditure totaling $130,880. Although the ad is not affiliated with Begich's campaign, it underscores that Democrats -- including those in red states -- are not running away from the law as their Republican opponents claim.

The GOP has argued that Obamacare will be politically toxic for Democrats in 2014. In Alaska, outside groups have spent $2.5 million in radio and TV ads attacking Begich. The Koch brothers spent nearly $1 million on ads targeting Begich in April alone. Begich hit back at the conservative billionaires in the first TV ad of his reelection campaign.

Four Senate Democrats facing tough reelection battles in GOP-friendly states have focused some of their messaging on fixing problems with the health care law. They've also continued to highlight its benefits, bolstered by enrollment for the law's private health plans, set to surpass 7.5 million.

Democrats have crafted what they say is a compelling counter-argument to the GOP: By running on a platform to repeal Obamacare without proposing an alternative, Republicans are arguing in favor of taking away benefits from millions of Americans who finally have access to health care coverage.

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