Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte is locked in a tough re-election fight, but she’s largely been able to put some distance between her and Donald Trump. While the Daily Kos Elections polling average gives Ayotte just a 46-45 lead over Democrat Maggie Hassan, Hillary Clinton has a 46-40 edge in New Hampshire. But Ayotte complicated things on Monday at a debate when, after she was asked whether she would point to Donald Trump as a role model for children, she replied, “I think that certainly there are many role models that we have. I believe he can serve as president, so absolutely, I would do that.” Hassan is now out with a commercial that aims to make Ayotte eat her words.
Like Clinton, Hassan understands that there’s no one who is better equipped to make the case against Donald Trump than Donald Trump. Hassan’s spot starts with that debate clip of the moderator asking Ayotte if Trump could serve as a role model and her agreeing he can, before the ad just rolls out some of Trump’s worst hits. And it is quite the montage. Trump is first heard saying that Alicia Machado “gained a massive amount of weight,” before it goes to a clip of the former Miss Universe saying that his attacks on her made her feel “so sad.”
Trump is then shown calling Clinton “a woman who can’t make it 15 feet to her car,” before it shows the infamous clip of Trump mocking a disabled reporter. The ad continues by showing Trump declaring, “I’d look her in that fat ugly face of hers,” and “blood coming out of her… wherever...” The commercial ends with the same clip of Ayotte at the debate affirming that Trump is an appropriate roll model.
Ayotte’s team seems to understand that they can’t just do nothing and hope this all goes away. Ayotte is out with a new ad that, while not directly addressing her debate moment, is certainly a response to it. Ayotte speaks to the camera and declares, “Let’s be honest, both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are far from perfect, and I’m not perfect either.”
Ayotte then quickly moves on and says she’s been a bipartisan problem solver who opposed the 2013 government shutdown, worked to fight the heroin epidemic, and fights to protect the environment. Ayotte concludes by declaring, “Whether I’m working with Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, I’m standing up for New Hampshire.” It’s nowhere near as memorable as Hassan’s spot, but if Ayotte wants to avoid being linked to Trump without alienating too many of his supporters, this is probably her best strategy.
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