Looks like the GOP is having another “Bob Dole Moment”. Rumors have been flying for weeks about the RNC squeezing their support for the Trumpster Fire’s loser campaign, and directing it into down ballot races. Then, Paul Ryan gave his flock permission to separate themselves from their toxic head of the ticket and save themselves. While Mitch McConnell has made no such pronouncement to his Senate caucus, they may not feel that they need the blessing.
The first Senate apostate appears to be Kelly Ayotte. According to an article in CNN.com that the US Chamber of Commerce is going up this week in New Hampshire that basically concedes the Presidential race to Clinton. The thrust of the ad is that New Hampshire needs to elect Ayotte to provide a firewall to a Clinton overreach. To quote from the article;
"America's future is far from certain," the narrator says over a picture of an empty presidential debate stage, followed by one of the White House.
"But no matter who the president is, New Hampshire needs a strong voice in the US Senate," the ad continues, declaring that incumbent Sen. Kelly Ayotte works across the aisle to get things done.
Basically, screw Trump, but don’t forget to pull the lever for Ayotte. And there’s a good reason for Ayotte to desperately need this kind of help, and message. For quite a while Ayotte was able to walk the tightrope, distancing herself from Trump without alienating his base. She easily outperformed Trump, holding a small but steady lead over Governor Maggie Hassan.
But the golden days are over for Kelly Ayotte. She badly fumbled her response to the Locker Room Talk scandal, but she wasn’t through yet. Days later, she slammed another pie in her own face, stating in a debate under pressure that she would recommend Donald Trump as a role model for children. The most recent WMUR/UNH poll shows Hassan streaking out to a 9 point lead, and the RCP average now has Hassan +2.
To be perfectly fair, I have not seen Kelly Ayotte come out personally to disavow Trump, but this ad from the USCC is a tantalizing insight into the strategy of at least one large GOP Super PAC going into the last 18 days of the election. And it does not bode well for their impression of the top of the ticket.
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