Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden says in a new TV ad that Obamacare is “personal” to him, recounting his family history as he made the case for defending the law from people who want to “replace it and start over.”

In the 60-second spot, Mr. Biden talks about the car crash that claimed the lives of his first wife and daughter as well as his late son Beau’s bout with cancer to emphasize the importance of health care for his family.

“The fact of the matter is, health care is personal to me. Obamacare is personal to me,” he says in the ad, released Tuesday. “And when I see the president try to tear it down and others propose we replace it and start over, that’s personal to me, too.”

“We’ve got to build on what we did, because every American deserves affordable health care,” he concludes.

Mr. Biden has rejected calls from 2020 Democratic presidential rivals such as Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont to pass a sweeping “Medicare for All” health care system that would do away with private insurance and has instead backed a public option that would compete with private insurance plans.

The Biden campaign said the new ad is part of a six-figure buy in Iowa.

It was released a day after a new national survey came out that showed Mr. Biden, who has been the clear front-runner in public polling on the 2020 Democratic field, has slipped into a virtual tie for first with Mr. Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

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