Echoing Republican criticism of President Barack Obama's support for the right of Muslims to build a mosque near ground zero, GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina said Tuesday that the proposed building should be moved elsewhere.

"Now would be a time for the proponents of that mosque to withdraw and say they will find someplace else where their objectives can be met instead of continuing to inflame the passions of people who lost and suffered so much," Fiorina said at a news conference.

Obama recently weighed in on the controversial placement of the $100 million Islamic center, sparking even more debate when he called it a matter of religious freedom.

Fiorina said the real issue was the feelings of those who lost their loved ones in the Sept. 11 attacks.

On Sunday, Fiorina and Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer agreed that the mosque was a local issue that should be left to the New York community.

Boxer spokesman Zachary Coile on Tuesday reiterated the senator's position that the matter should be determined by the people of New York.

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