The following comes from the campaigns of those running for elected office in our area.

 

WAKEFIELD — Last night state Rep. Paul Brodeur held an official ribbon cutting to mark the opening of his campaign headquarters in the Greenwood Plaza. The Melrose Democrat is running for reelection and is being challenged by Greenwood Republican John Lock.

The Brodeur office at 979 Main St. is above Greenwood House of Pizza.

If you have any issues to discuss with Brodeur, his  office can be reached at 781-462-1630.

Tisei raps Moulton on health care

PEABODY — Seth Moulton trumpeted the Democratic Party line this week, insisting Obamacare has been good for Massachusetts residents, despite reports of massive disruptions to service, a $1 billion price tag for the state and uncertain health outcomes for Massachusetts patients.

Moulton is running against Wakefield Republican Richard Tisei to represent the North Shore in Congress. The election is Nov. 4.

“We worked for years to get it right here in Massachusetts and this one-size-fits-all plan has been an absolute disaster. Massachusetts needs a waiver from Obamacare so we can let our elected leaders here do what’s best for the Commonwealth. As I talk to people here, they are concerned about the future of their health insurance, they’re frightened by the increases in cost and they think Massachusetts has wasted a lot of money implementing a law we didn’t need,” Tisei said.

Tisei’s comments were in response to Moulton’s rosy assessment of Obamacare in a Daily Item of Lynn story Wednesday.

“Moulton said the Affordable Care Act ‘advances health care in America’ by providing greater access to care; reducing costs and improving the end results of the care people receive. He said a Massachusetts waiver request from the law could be followed by requests from other states across the country.”

Tisei said he would use his experience as a state legislator to advocate for Massachusetts in Washington.

“We need representatives who don’t just parrot national Democratic Party talking points. Seth Moulton needs to understand that Massachusetts can do healthcare better than Washington,” Tisei said.

Facts on Obamacare in Massachusetts:

“Health insurance rates will rise at a faster clip over the next several months as insurers spend more to implement the federal health care law and patients increase the use of high-cost drugs and medical services, insurers and regulators said Monday.”

“Insurers say new taxes and administrative costs associated with the federal Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, are driving up costs.”

— The Boston Globe

“Signing up Bay Staters to Obamacare health plans will cost taxpayers more than $1 billion — a “rude awakening” for the next governor, who will likely have to cut services and raise taxes to pay for the bill, according to a bombshell report to be released today by a Boston watchdog group.”

— The Boston Herald

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Polls: Moulton leading Tisei

Two new polls have Democrat Seth Moulton leading Republican Richard Tisei in the battle for Rep. John Tierney’s (D-Mass.) seat.

One, a survey conducted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign committee and obtained by The Hill, gives Moulton 49 percent support among likely voters to Tisei’s 41 percent support, with 10 percent of voters undecided.

Moulton leads by 11 points among women and five points among seniors in the new poll.

According to the DCCC’s polling memo, Moulton is known by 60 percent of voters in the district, and “the rate of those who hold a favorable opinion of him is … four times as high as the rate of those who hold an unfavorable view.”

Tisei is also well-known, according to the memo, but “voters’ opinions of him are mixed.”

The other was conducted by 314 PAC, a group dedicated to electing candidates with science and technology backgrounds, which endorsed Moulton on Tuesday. The IVR survey, conducted by Municipoll, has Moulton up by a more significant margin, taking 49 percent to Tisei’s 31 percent support among likely voters. Twenty percent are undecided.

The candidates’ favorables appear similar to those that the DCCC found. About 60 percent of voters have an opinion on Moulton and 70 percent have an opinion on Tisei. Moulton is seen more favorably than negatively at a rate of more than 2 to 1, while voters are more split over Tisei, though he’s still seen more positively than negatively.

While the district leans Democratic, Republicans believe Tisei can still make it competitive but Democrats — as the new polls show — have a solid shot with Moulton as their nominee, following his defeat of Tierney in the primary.

The DCCC poll was conducted on Sept. 13 among 432 likely voters and has a margin of error of 4.7 percent. The 314 PAC survey was conducted among 490 likely voters from Sept. 12-14 and has a margin of error of 4.4 percent.