Health law plays central role in key Senate races

News outlets examine how the overhaul is being used in campaign ads in North Carolina, where a primary election is being held today, as well as in Iowa. Meanwhile, in Tennessee, the political spin has raised some eyebrows.

Los Angeles Times: It's Tea Party Vs. GOP Establishment In North Carolina Primary
[Sen. Kay] Hagan's camp took the unusual step of recently running a radio ad apparently intended to help Brannon, whom experts say would be easier for her to beat in the general election. The ad tears into [Thom] Tillis' support for certain aspects of Obamacare, portraying him as soft on a signature GOP issue. Hagan, who supported Obamacare, defended the ad, accusing Tillis of waffling on the health care law. Tillis has promised to repeal Obamacare (Mascaro, 5/5).

The Washington Post: Vulnerable Democratic Sen. Hagan Runs Anti-Obamacare Attack Ads Against GOP Contender
The fliers landed in the mailboxes of Republican voters here last week with a warning likely to unnerve many conservatives. Thom Tillis, the Republican front-runner for a U.S. Senate seat, once called President Obama's health-care law "a great idea," the mailer said. The assertion echoed recent radio ads that also seem to question Tillis's adherence to the orthodoxy of a party that has made its opposition to the Affordable Care Act a centerpiece of its midterm-election strategy. But the warnings didn't come from any of the seven opponents Tillis will face in Tuesday's GOP primary, where he has been regularly attacked as not conservative enough. Instead, they were paid for by Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat who will face the eventual GOP nominee in November (Helderman, 5/5).

Modern Healthcare:  N.C. Primary Preview:  Eight Republicans, One Anti-Obama Message
When Republican voters head to the North Carolina polls Tuesday, they will have eight candidates to choose from in the contest to take on Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan. But when it comes to their positions on health care, the GOP challengers offer little diversity: They all favor repealing Obamacare (Demko, 5/5).

The Washington Post's Post Politics: GOP Senate Hopeful Ernst Fires Gun In Ad Vowing To 'Unload' On Obamacare
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst of Iowa has released a new TV ad vowing to "unload" on Obamacare, in which she takes target practice at a shooting range with a handgun. The narrator of the ad says Ernst, a state senator and lieutenant colonel in the Iowa Army National Guard, "carries more than just lipstick in her purse." The commercial portrays her riding a motorcycle to a shooting range where she takes target practice (Sullivan, 5/5).

The Associated Press: Health Care Law-Holocaust Comparison Criticized
A state Senator's blog post likening the insurance requirement under President Barack Obama's health care law to the forced deportation of Jews during the Holocaust drew swift condemnation Monday from leaders of both parties in Tennessee. Republican Sen. Stacey Campfield of Knoxville wrote the comment in a post titled "Thought of the Day" (5/5).