Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte stepped in it big time during Monday’s debate with Democratic challenger Maggie Hassan. Ayotte has tried to have it both ways regarding Donald Trump: She maintains she doesn’t endorse him, but says she’ll vote for him anyway in what can only be described as pretzel logic. Given the absurd distinction Ayotte has tried to maintain, her answer to whether Trump was a role model for kids to look up to came as a shock:
“I think that certainly there are many role models that we have,” Ayotte answered awkwardly. “I believe he can serve as president, so absolutely, I would [say he’s a role model]”
This is the same Trump who has made so many racist and sexist comments that Hillary Clinton has used them to literally run ads on how he’s a terrible role model for our children. Polls give Clinton a clear lead in New Hampshire, something Ayotte implicitly acknowledges when she tries to keep Trump at arms length. She quickly realized after the debate just how big of a mistake she made and tried to walk back her comments, claiming she misspoke, but this gaffe is on video and dominated news coverage of the debate.
Many Democratic candidates running for Congress this year have found that attacks on Trump just aren’t as effective as progressives would like them to be. Soft partisans and Republican-leaning voters simply don’t view Trump as a byproduct of irresponsible establishment Republican extremism, even though he is. Thus, many of these Democrats like Hassan have instead focused their fire on more conventional lines of attack, like lambasting Ayotte for voting against wildly popular gun background checks.
However, Ayotte calling Trump a role model in this debate could easily make its way into a campaign ad, and given her past equivocation about supporting Trump, it might be particularly effective in this instance. With Ayotte and Hassan deadlocked 47-47 in the Huffpost Pollster average, any gaffe like this could make a crucial difference in one of the key races that could decide which party controls the Senate.
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