Health law still looms as issue in midterms

Nearly seven in 10 adults say their view of the health law will factor in their congressional voting decisions this fall, a new Bankrate.com survey finds. Other stories look at positions staked out by candidates in Tennessee, Kansas and Oregon.

The Fiscal Times: Obamacare Still Likely To Haunt the Midterm Elections
Most Americans headed to the polls this November say Obamacare will be on their minds while casting their voting ballots. But that's not necessarily good news for either party. A new Bankrate.com survey released Wednesday found nearly 7 in 10 adults said their opinion of the president's health care law will play a role in their decision of which House of Representatives candidate to vote for in the midterm elections. Of those people, 44 percent said Obamacare would play a major factor in their voting decisions, while 24 percent said it would only play a minor role (Ehley, 7/2).

The Wall Street Journal: Sen. Lamar Alexander Resurrects Health-Care Fights In Ad
Sen. Lamar Alexander would like Tennessee Republicans to focus on his early questioning of the Affordable Care Act as he seeks to fend off an insurgent challenger. Mr. Alexander's campaign on Wednesday released a TV ad that will begin airing statewide Sunday showing him confronting President Barack Obama at a February 2010 White House health-care summit with senators. ... The ad's release comes two days after Mr. Alexander appeared with Sen.Rand Paul (R., Ky.) and local health-care executives in Nashville to discuss health care (Epstein, 7/2).

Associated Press: Foes In Kansas Senate Race Both Sign Health Pledge
Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts and Republican primary opponent Milton Wolf have both signed a pledge to fight for repeal of the federal health care overhaul. But Wolf was getting credit Wednesday from the Washington-based conservative group behind the pledge for signing it first. It calls for blocking funding to administer the health overhaul and repealing the 2010 law championed by Democratic President Barack Obama (7/3).

The Oregonian: Monica Wehby Calls Hobby Lobby Ruling 'Very Limited In Scope'; Jeff Merkley Supporters Disagree
The rival Oregon Senate campaigns argued Wednesday over the importance of this week's U.S. Supreme Court decision that allowed two companies, on religious grounds, to limit the scope of contraceptive coverage they provide to employees. Republican candidate Monica Wehby told reporters at an Oregon City event that she thought the decision was "very limited in scope" because it involved a narrow range of contraceptive products and a relatively small group of closely held companies. The re-election campaign of Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., held a conference call with reporters to argue that the decision could threaten contraceptive coverage for millions of women -- although participants on the call did acknowledge that Oregon law requiring contraceptive coverage could limit the scope of the Supreme Court decision here (Mapes, 7/2).