Medicare has been a recurring topic of contention in the race for Illinois’ 12th Congressional district. Democratic candidate Bill Enyart introduced himself to senior citizens in East St. Louis to discuss his stance on the issue.
As this was the first time many of the senior citizens had ever seen Enyart, he took the time to link his name to a candidate that’s popular in the area.
“You’re going to have President Barack Obama, and then the next name below the President’s is mine," Enyart told the crowd. "I just ask you to remember that, it’s a vote for Barack, and the next is Bill Enyart.”
For many of the senior citizens there, Medicare is the biggest issue in November. Many at the event said Enyart’s party affiliation is important, and that it lets them know he’ll protect Medicare.
But Republican candidate Jason Plummer disagrees. He says the Affordable Care Act will be damaging to seniors, costing the program 720 billion dollars.
Enyart responds by pointing to fact-checkers like politifact.org, which rates that claim as “mostly false.”
Plummer met with seniors in a different city, Friday. He does not support the Ryan plan, which critics say would turn Medicare into a voucher program.
Follow Chris McDaniel on Twitter: @csmcdaniel
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