politics News

(AP) Today on the presidential campaign trail

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
By: The Associated Press

IN THE HEADLINES

McCain wants to shift health insurance from employers to marketplace ... Clinton picks up prized endorsement in North Carolina ahead of May 6 Democratic primary ... Kentucky Rep. Ben Chandler endorses Obama in presidential race ... Heated presidential campaign increasingly souring Democrats on rival candidates

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McCain seeks tax credit for health care

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) _ Republican John McCain wants to change how people get their health insurance, shifting away from job-based coverage to an open market where people can choose from competing policies.

McCain said Tuesday he would offer families a $5,000 tax credit to help buy insurance policies. Everyone would get the credit, whether he or she keeps a policy through an employer or shops for a new one.

"You simply choose the insurance provider that suits you best," McCain said in a speech Tuesday at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute in Tampa.

"The health plan you chose would be as good as any that an employer could choose for you. It would be yours and your family's health care plan, and yours to keep," he said.

Advisers called the speech a major policy address though McCain has talked about the same ideas for several months.

Still missing: The total cost of the plan and an estimate of how many people it would help. There are more than 40 million people in the United States who don't have health insurance. An adviser said that specifics will come later.

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N.C. governor endorses Clinton

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ Gov. Mike Easley endorsed Hillary Rodham Clinton Tuesday, boosting her presidential bid a week before North Carolina's May 6 primary.

Appearing onstage with Clinton and his wife, Mary, the two-term Democrat declared the New York senator "gets it."

"It's time for somebody to be in the White House who understands the challenges we face in this country," Easley said.

Easley is term-limited and will leave office early next year. Both Democrats vying for the party's nomination to replace him have endorsed Obama, whom polls show with a substantial lead over Clinton in the state.

The governor is popular among white, working-class Democrats in the state, whom Obama has been eager to woo. He is also one of the all-important "superdelegates" likely to choose the party's nominee if both Obama and Clinton fail to secure enough pledged delegates to claim the nomination.

Easley is the second North Carolina superdelegate to endorse Clinton. Obama has the backing of six of the 17 superdelegates in the state.

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Ky. congressman throws support behind Obama

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) _ U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, who carries a famous Kentucky political name, endorsed fellow Democrat Barack Obama for their party's presidential nomination.

Chandler told a group of Obama supporters in Louisville that he was swayed by the Illinois senator's message of "change and hope." The congressman said he's impressed by Obama's ideas and his "quiet strength."

The endorsement gives Obama the support of Kentucky's two Democratic congressmen _ who represent the state's most urban areas _ leading into the state's May 20 primary.

Chandler represents a central Kentucky district that includes Lexington. He entered Congress in early 2004 after winning a special election to fill the seat of Republican Ernie Fletcher, who defeated him in the state's 2003 gubernatorial election. Chandler is also a former attorney general and state auditor.

The Chandler name is one of the most famous in Kentucky politics. Ben Chandler's grandfather, A.B. "Happy" Chandler, was twice elected governor, served in the U.S. Senate and was commissioner of baseball.

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Heated campaign souring Democrats on rival candidates

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Democratic Party members increasingly dislike the presidential contender they are not supporting in the bruising nomination fight between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, an Associated Press-Yahoo News survey and exit polls of voters show.

That is raising questions about how faithful some will be by the November general election.

In the AP-Yahoo poll _ which has tracked the same 2,000 people since November _ Obama supporters with negative views of the New York senator have grown from 35 percent in November to 44 percent this month, including one-quarter with very unfavorable feelings.

Those Obama backers who don't like Clinton say they would vote for Republican candidate John McCain over her by a two-to-one margin, with many undecided.

As for Clinton supporters, those with unfavorable views of Obama have grown from 26 percent to 42 percent during this same period _ including a doubling to 20 percent of those with very negative opinions.

The Clinton backers with unfavorable views of Obama say they would vote for McCain over him by nearly three-to-one, though many haven't made up their minds.

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DAILY TRACK

Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton are statistically tied nationally in the Democratic presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.

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THE DELEGATE BREAKDOWN

Barack Obama: 1728.5

Hillary Rodham Clinton: 1594.5

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THE DEMOCRATS

Hillary Rodham Clinton tours a factory and holds meetings in Indiana. Barack Obama meets with voters and played hoops with the University of North Carolina basketball team in North Carolina.

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THE REPUBLICANS

John McCain gives a speech on health care in Tampa, Fla.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"There's been lots of 'Yes we can, yes we should.' Hillary Clinton is ready to deliver." _ North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, in announcing his support for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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STAT OF THE DAY:

Forty-four percent of the Democratic-leaning respondents in an AP-Ipsos poll said the protracted Democratic presidential primary will hurt their party's chances in November; more supporters of Barack Obama than backers of Hillary Rodham Clinton said they had that fear.

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Compiled by Ann Sanner.

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