--- title: King v. Burwell: Democratic Presidential Candidates Respond description: The Democratic presidential candidates were happy with a Supreme Court decision upholding a key part of the Affordable Care Act. But there were some telling... canonical: https://time.com/3935804/supreme-court-king-burwell-democratic-presidential-candidates/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-25T15:44:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:47:16.308Z article:section: Politics og:title: How 2016 Democrats Reacted to the Obamacare Decision og:description: Short answer: They were happy, but they want more. og:url: https://time.com/3935804/supreme-court-king-burwell-democratic-presidential-candidates/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1c858ec48348aa4/6988585b35ba6f9044c0dedc/supreme-court-king-burwell-democratic-presidential-candidates.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: A sign is held up that reads "ACA Is Here To Stay" front of the US Supreme Court after ruling was announced in favor of the Affordable Care Act. June 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How 2016 Democrats Reacted to the Obamacare Decision twitter:description: Short answer: They were happy, but they want more. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd1c858ec48348aa4/6988585b35ba6f9044c0dedc/supreme-court-king-burwell-democratic-presidential-candidates.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Democratic Presidential Contenders Reacted to the Obamacare Decision > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. 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Brief is TIME's Washington newsletter, written by senior correspondent Philip Elliott. It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. It reaches 85,000 subscribers with a 37.0% open rate as of August 2026. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 25, 2015 3:44 PM UTC  A sign is held up that reads "ACA Is Here To Stay" front of the US Supreme Court after ruling was announced in favor of the Affordable Care Act. June 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. A sign is held up that reads "ACA Is Here To Stay" front of the US Supreme Court after ruling was announced in favor of the Affordable Care Act. June 25, 2015 in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson—Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jun 25, 2015 3:44 PM UTC The Democratic presidential candidates were happy with a Supreme Court decision upholding a key part of the Affordable Care Act. But there were some telling differences in how they expressed that happiness. Minutes after the ruling came down, frontrunner Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for the high court’s decision. > [](https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton/status/614079976892182528) Clinton, who has long favored reducing the uninsured rate and pushed for an individual mandate during the 2008 primaries, has suggested minor improvements to Obamacare since leaving office as Secretary of State. In a statement on Thursday, Clinton touted the law. --- > “” --- All in all, she takes a similar stance to Obama, and a picture is worth a 1000 words: Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, a self-proclaimed socialist, has said he views Obamacare as a step in the right direction, but has repeatedly called for a single-payer system in which the government pays for all health care costs, rather than private insurers. It’s a system used by most developed countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the Scandinavian nations. After the Supreme Court ruling, Sanders nodded at the decision but repeated his call. --- > “” --- Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley praised the Supreme Court decision, but also called for new ways to improve costs. As mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland, O’Malley pushed a data-driven approach to cost reduction and management. He doubled down on that wonkiness in his statement. --- > “” --- Finally, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee tweeted his support and touted his home state. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3935804/supreme-court-king-burwell-democratic-presidential-candidates/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3935804/supreme-court-king-burwell-democratic-presidential-candidates/"},"headline":"Here's How Democratic Presidential Contenders Reacted to the Obamacare Decision","datePublished":"2015-06-25T15:44:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:47:16.308Z","description":"The Democratic presidential candidates were happy with a Supreme Court decision upholding a key part of the Affordable Care Act. 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