Pat Coffey, a retired school principal, called the Democratic Party's local office in Longmont, Colo., Monday morning offering to work the phones and stuff envelopes to help Rep. Betsy Markey win re-election. In nearby Loveland, Nancy Rumfelt awoke Monday convinced that her local activist group, associated with the Tea Party movement, would have new volunteers to help defeat Ms. Markey.  Both activists were energized by the Democrats' landmark victory Sunday night in passing health-care legislation, which Ms. Markey supported.  A number of surveys circulated by Republicans in recent days have suggested vulnerable Democrats—such as Ms. Markey in Colorado and Rep. John Boccieri (D., Ohio), whose districts lean toward the GOP—put their jobs in jeopardy by voting with Democratic leaders to support the health overhaul. Meantime, Rep. Jason Altmire (D., Pa.) upset supporters by voting against the bill.  Dr. Chris Hughes from Pittsburgh marches in Washington with health professionals who back the bill that passed on Sunday night.  In Ms. Markey's largely rural district in Colorado, politically engaged people said they expected President Barack Obama's health-care legislation to produce additional donations and volunteers for local campaigns.  But there were also signs that the vast bulk of voters would focus elsewhere in November's midterm elections. Much like gay marriage, health care may prove to be far more important in energizing people who are already politically active than the typical voter. The economy, by contrast, could remain a more overwhelming motivator.  Ms. Rumfelt, the conservative activist, predicted that by November, "I really think the economy and the effect of our out-of-control spending will be at the forefront."  Similarly in Iowa, state Rep. Linda Upmeyer, the Republican whip in the state House, said Monday she intended to turn the Democrats' health bill victory into a political liability—sponsoring legislation to challenge the bill's validity and forcing state-level Democrats to take a position the GOP expected would prove unpopular.  But when asked if health care now stood as the biggest issue of the year, she said: "Heavens no." Health care "will not suck all of the energy out of the economy'' as the more important political issue, she said. "Jobs and the economy are still going to be our No. 1 issue, without a doubt."  A spokesman for Ms. Markey said Monday that her campaign would focus on jobs and the economy.  In Rep. Boccieri's Ohio district, Canton-area talk-show host Paul Schiffer is running in the Republican primary as the self-described Tea Party candidate for the seat. He said he expected the health vote to "intensify the concern that Obama's change means the government takeover of our lives." Mr. Schiffer hopes to take advantage of that intensity and stand out from the GOP field by framing the health bill as "complete socialism."  Officials from Ohio Right to Life vowed to target Mr. Boccieri, who has campaigned as an abortion-rights opponent. Antiabortion Democrats had opposed the bill, but most supported it in the end after Mr. Obama issued an executive order preventing taxpayer-financed abortions as part of the plan.  Mr. Boccieri, in an interview Monday, said he would campaign hard on the health-care bill, explaining its contents to his skeptical constituents.  In Rep. Altmire's western Pennsylvania district, activists on the political left spoke Monday of challenging a Democratic congressman who voted against the health bill.  Labor-union members felt angry and betrayed by his vote. They are now threatening to run a labor official against him. "We're not going to support Jason,'' said Bernie Hall, president of United Steelworks Local 8183 in Beaver, Pa.  Mr. Hall said the union would rather lose the congressional seat to a Republican than back Mr. Altmire now.  "If that's a loss we have to take, so be it,'' Mr. Hall said. "We have to hold every politician accountable for their actions." In 2008, union support had helped boost Mr. Altmire to his second term with 56% of the vote, far above Obama's 44% share in the district.  Still, it was unclear that labor's unhappiness would carry any consequence for Mr. Altmire in November. The filing deadline to run for office passed two weeks ago, meaning that a union-backed challenger would have to run as a write-in candidate in the Democratic primary or as an independent in November. Mr. Altmire has no opponent on the ballot in the Democratic primary.  Moreover, some Democrats say they agree with Mr. Altmire's vote against the health bill. "I think he did the right thing," said Lorenzo Pompeo, a 67-year-old retired supermarket manager who lives down the street from Mr. Altmire's Aliquippa office. Mr. Pompeo said he and his wife Joyce, 63, were "on the fence" about the health bill themselves, and he praised Mr. Altmire for bringing in funding to the depressed region for a nearby interstate.  "He's very, very good for us," Mr. Pompeo said.  Across the street, Greg McFarland said he didn't like Mr. Altmire's vote but said he would not support Mr. Altmire's Republican challenger, and he doubted a write-in candidate supported by the steelworkers' union could win.  "I'm not going to throw my vote away over anger," said Mr. McFarland, 50, a cashier at a parking garage. Mr. Altmire "still has my support overall."  Write to Stephanie Simon at stephanie.simon@wsj.com, Douglas Belkin at doug.belkin@wsj.com and Kris Maher at kris.maher@wsj.com
Opponents of three Democrats in swing districts say they are energized by their representatives' votes—two 'yes' and one 'no'—but some Republicans concede the economy remains key.