A union ironworker announced on Monday he would seek the Democratic nomination to run against House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and released an emotional video focusing on an issue that is sure to be familiar to him: healthcare.
Candidate Randy Bryce’s ad, which tugs at heartstrings with soaring emotional music, first introduces his mother who takes numerous drugs to help treat her multiple sclerosis.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that there are thousands of people like her who don’t have what she has,” Bryce said in the video. “The system is extremely flawed.”
Bryce spoke about his job, family, and being able to “see what people need” in Wisconsin before directly speaking to Ryan.
“Let’s trade places, Paul Ryan,” he said. “You can come work the iron, and I’ll go to D.C. We can so much better together, as a community, and our future depends on it.”
Bryce, an Army veteran and community activist, has twice unsuccessfully run for the state legislature, according to the Associated Press. He will compete with David Yankovich to go up against Ryan in the 2018 midterm election.
Healthcare is quickly becoming a central issue that Democrats hope to seize on heading into the 2018 midterms—where more than 30 senators and all of the House of Representatives members are up for reelection.
On Monday night, Democrats protested the Senate’s secret Republican health care bill that would replace the Affordable Care Act. The bill is expected to come up for a vote within the next two weeks—but is not expected to undergo committee hearings or allow for legislators to offer amendments.
President Donald Trump called the House version of the bill “mean” and asked Senators to fix it while rewriting it. The Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan group that scores legislation, said 23 million fewer Americans would be insured under the House version of the bill.
