NORTH PORT: Republican candidates in the District 23 state Senate race disagreed about the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare, on Tuesday night. While answering, all candidates told the crowd of about 50 they wouldn’t personally be able to vote to repeal the legislation.
Former Sarasota County Commissioner Nora Patterson said she wouldn’t support completely repealing it because of the number of people already enrolled. It would be costly to dismantle the program, she said. Instead, she told those gathered at the North Port Area Republican Club’s forum she would want to fix and reconstruct the existing program. “Something has to be done, but I’m not in favor of wiping it out and starting all over,” she said at The Olde World Restaurant. “I just don’t think it’s possible.”
Sarasota state Rep. Ray Pilon agreed with Patterson. He said the state needs to come up with a plan to improve health care. In the past, he voted to expand the Medicaid health insurance program as authorized by Obamacare, a bill Sarasota state Rep. Greg W. Steube told the audience he voted against. Former Sarasota state Rep. Doug Holder and Sarasota businessman Rick Levine joined him in saying that if given the chance, they would repeal Obamacare. Those attending asked about how candidates would support law enforcement, and about their support of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
When asked how the candidates would support law enforcement, all candidates said law enforcement should have local support. Steube called for better pay for law enforcement officials, and Patterson said elected officials need to show their support of officers and law enforcement. She said counties, cities and the state need to pay officers legal fees and stand behind them. Pilon said communities need to show their support for officers. “We need them; so as we need them, they need our support,” he said. Candidates also pledged their support of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump. While some said they agree with Trump on policies, others said they would support whoever the Republican candidate was.
Pilon, Holder and Patterson said they would support Trump because he would be running as the party candidate. “If we don’t come together as a party and unify, it helps out our opponents,” Holder said, in reference to Hillary Clinton. Pilon said the next president will decide future justices on the Supreme Court and, because of that, Republicans need to unite. “The fate of our nation lies in our hands,” he said. Recent University of South Florida graduate Frank Cirillo and New College of Florida political science professor Frank Alcock are the two democrats running for District 23.
