It appears Gov. Roy Cooper’s campaign staff liked the statement made by Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Mandy Cohen’s at the Tuesday, Aug. 4 press conference so much, they turned it into a campaign ad.

At the press conference on Tuesday, which was supposed to be about the COVID-19 numbers and Cooper’s decision not to reopen the state’s economy, Cohen begin with a statement on Medicaid – one of the most divisive political issues in North Carolina.

Cohen said, “Before I begin with data I just want to give a shout out to the state of Missouri for voting yesterday to expand Medicaid. We in North Carolina are now one of only 12 states that have not said yes to providing North Carolinians with affordable access to health coverage and bringing billions of dollars into our economy. It is time to expand Medicaid here in North Carolina.”

Cooper’s campaign released a similar ad on Thursday, Aug. 6.

The campaign ad from the Cooper campaign reads, “On Tuesday, Missourians voted for Medicaid expansion, making their state the 39th (including the District of Columbia) in the country – and the sixth traditionally “red” state – to do it.”

The ad shows a Politico headline and states, “People deserve health care, especially during a pandemic – and folks across the political spectrum agree: Medicaid expansion is the best way to get coverage to those who need it most.”

“Roy is fighting to expand access to Medicaid to close the health care coverage gap for more than 500,000 North Carolinians – If Missouri can expand Medicaid, so can North Carolina.”

Cohen used a government press conference, to give Cooper’s campaign a boost.

Perhaps, to be fair at Cooper’s next COVID-19 press conference his Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest should be given equal time.