‘Very Painful for the Republican Party’: Frank Luntz Issues Grave Warning to GOP Over Healthcare Battle

Veteran pollster Frank Luntz predicted that Republicans will be punished at the ballot box in the 2026 midterms if the GOP and Democrats are unable to reach a healthcare deal because the average American will be “pissed off.”

Luntz told CNN on Tuesday that the lack of a deal could spur another another government shutdown — and most voters would take their irritation out on President Donald Trump’s party.

“If the government does shut down because they still can’t find a solution to this, [it] is going to be very painful for the Republican Party,” Luntz told host Brianna Keilar. “Because as you note, every survey, every poll that’s out there shows that Republicans will be hurt more by this than Democrats.”

Luntz said healthcare is an issue that goes deeper than “polling” and “politics” for the average voter.

“In the end, we have a significant percentage — millions and millions of people — who cannot afford their health care. And this becomes an issue not just of affordability, but expense. I know it sounds the same, but in the polling that we’ve done, the public thinks that American health care is simply too expensive, and they will be grateful for any solution that brings down that cost,” argued Luntz.

His comments come after healthcare was at the center of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. A key issue for Democrats was getting an extension on Obamacare tax credits. They did not get those extensions, but did secure an agreement that Congress would vote on them before the end of 2026.

No agreement has been reached since the government reopened in November. Congress adjourned last week until 2026 as ACA subsidies are set to expire for millions of people.

Luntz told CNN that Americans “resent” the finger-pointing on Obamacare.

“It doesn’t matter whether it’s the subsidy, what matters is the overall cost. The public does not know the details of this, and frankly they don’t really care,” Luntz said. “If they can afford their healthcare, they’re grateful. If they can’t, they’re angry, they’re pissed off.”

Watch above via CNN..