Cantor Aggressively Targets 37 Democratic Lawmakers To Switch Health Care Vote | Giffords On List

By Sam Stein
Huffington Post
Updated: 01- 6-10 09:49 AM

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is releasing the names of 37 Democratic members of the House his office is targeting in an effort to switch their vote on health care reform.

The Virginia Republican, in a memo release from his office, pinned the GOP's prospects of derailing reform on convincing three of those 37 members to switch their vote from a yea to a nay. If Republican leadership secures those votes, it would reverse the narrow margin by which health care reform initially passed the House of Representatives.

26Dems Editorial Note: Gabrielle Giffords is among those targeted because of Sen. Bill Nelson's insertion of language in the Senate version that largely exempts seniors in the state of Florida from cuts to Medicare Advantage. Republicans are betting that Giffords and others who represent states with high Medicare Advantage enrollment will vote against the bill on these grounds. Giffords is also targeted because the bill asks states to pick up the tab for a portion of Medicaid costs. Republicans are exerting pressure on Democrats representing states being forced to cut education funding but which will also be saddled with millions of dollars in new Medicaid costs.