It’s hard to tell sometimes who Republican senators running for re-election in swing states are more worried about – their Democratic opponents or Donald Trump.
One of the most threatened, first-termer Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, showed again yesterday that questioning her about her party’s presidential nominee is like sticking a cross in the face of a vampire.
Asked whether Trump exhibited the readiness to be president, following the bombings in New York City and New Jersey over the weekend, Ayotte displayed her allergy to even mentioning Trump’s name, let alone comment on anything he has said.
“Well, I think whoever’s elected president, we’re going to trust them with all the responsibilities of commander in chief, absolutely,” she said.
Except that wasn’t the question.
Ayotte is famous for perhaps the most logic-turned-on-its-head explanation of her support for Trump when she said she would vote for him, but would not endorse him. She was also among several Republican Senate incumbents who avoided the Cleveland GOP convention in July where Trump secured the party’s presidential nomination.
Trump is down five points in New Hampshire to Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, according to the Real Clear Politics website average of the latest polls. Ayotte is leading her opponent, Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, by just under 2 points.
It’s worth noting that Hassan has had her own issue-avoidance moments as well. During a CNN interview last month, she dodged a question three times about whether she believed that Clinton was honest and trustworthy. Following the interview, her campaign said that Hassan did believe that Clinton was.
David Goldstein: 202-383-6105, @GoldsteinDavidJ
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