ST. PAUL, Minn. — A recently defeated Republican congressman from Minnesota is blaming the Democratic House takeover on the late Sen. John McCain's vote against repealing the Affordable Care Act.

First-term Rep. made the argument in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece published Sunday. Lewis lost to Democrat Angie Craig last week in his suburban Minnesota seat.

Lewis says McCain's vote against repealing the health care law unleashed a wave of Democratic attack ads against Republicans across the country on protecting pre-existing conditions.

McCain was one of three Republican senators to vote against the repeal effort in July 2017. He died of brain cancer earlier this year.

McCain's daughter, Meghan McCain, called Lewis's comments "abhorrent" on Twitter. Lewis's campaign manager did not immediately respond to a request for comment.