Organizations working to help Arizona residents enroll in health insurance plans on the new federal exchange said Tuesday a steady flow of people was signing up as the deadline loomed to get coverage that starts Jan. 1.

At a Pima County Republican Party luncheon in Tucson, voters arrive to hear a speech from the latest GOP candidate to enter the race to serve Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District.

The midterm congressional elections are still a year off, but the Republican Party started ratcheting up its campaign this week against three freshman Arizona Democrats it has targeted in the race.

WASHINGTON – Arizona Reps. Kyrsten Sinema and Ron Barber joined 37 other Democrats who crossed the aisle Friday and voted for a GOP-backed bill to let people keep their current insurance policies under the health care reform act.

According to the federal government, fewer than 750 Arizonans have signed up for health insurance under the federal marketplace created by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.