State representative and congressional hopeful Adam Kwasman shared Thursday morning that he has a type of blood cancer. But, as Arizona Public Radio’s Howard Fischer reports, Kwasman said there is nothing political in his timing.
Kwasman said he was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a non-fatal blood disease, about a year ago. But, Kwasman said while some friends and colleagues knew, he chose not to share that with the public in his three-way race for the GOP nomination.
“There’s no need to scare the public. There is no need to let people run wild with different theories. It was my preference to never have to have this press conference. The only reason I ever had this press conference is because the rumor mill started going,” Kwasman said.
Kwasman, a Republican, has been an outspoken foe of the Affordable Care Act. But, he conceded that if he loses his congressional bid, he would benefit from it because he could not be denied future coverage for his pre-existing condition. Kwasman said that’s a good provision and something he would include in an entirely different program. But, he did say his own party has so far failed to offer any meaningful alternative.
“The Republicans in the past have failed when it comes to healthcare reform. They have. They have. And the Democrats have failed miserably when it comes to Obamacare,” Kwasman said.
