Ayotte: I will stand up to Trump but will vote for him anyway

[pppolitics]

Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) -- Sen. Kelly Ayotte has often found herself in a familiar spot with Donald Trump: Keeping her distance.

But in this fiercely independent state, Ayotte is gambling that voters might reward her for rebuking her own party's nominee. She has criticized Trump and will not endorse him -- yet still plans to vote for the billionaire in November.

"I will take on my own party," Ayotte told CNN in Nashua Monday. "I really believe that this is a big issue in this race -- that I am the one candidate that will stand up to whomever is in the White House to do good things when we can work together -- also when it's wrong to stand up to them."

Ayotte is one of more than a half dozen Republican senators whose fate this fall is critical to saving the GOP's beleaguered Senate majority. And with Trump's standing now eroding rapidly in battleground states, Republican senators need to convince Hillary Clinton voters to split their ticket, warning of the perils of one-party rule in Washington.

For Ayotte, that means spotlighting her criticism of Trump while painting her Democratic opponent, New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan, as a candidate who would simply toe the party line. Selling voters on her independent bona fides may be her best hope.

"The people of New Hampshire need to know are you ever going to disagree with your nominee? And unfortunately, Gov. Hassan has not," Ayotte said.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/16/politics/kelly-ayotte-trump-hassan-new-hampshire/index.html

[The Other Castro]

Democrats tried to make this position work in 2014 and it failed tremendously. This is a losing strategy.

[Xing]

Republicans who try this are going to get massacred. You either support Trump and want him to win, or you don't. Ayotte is trying to have her cake and eat it too.

[KingSweden]

Republicans who try this are going to get massacred. You either support Trump and want him to win, or you don't. Ayotte is trying to have her cake and eat it too.

Yeah, this kind of equivocation sure paid wonders for Democratic lawmakers in 2010 and 2014.

[Heisenberg]

Won't matter, because this race is not competitive.

[RINO Tom]

Ick.

[IceSpear]

Man, Ayotte is such a loser. Either disown Trump or don't. This "I support him but don't endorse him!" stuff is the most ridiculous crap I've ever heard. Casting a vote for = supporting = endorsing. Nobody is fooled by these dumb semantics.

Luckily this spineless weasel will be ousted by Climbing Maggie soon enough!

[Maxwell]

Ayotte really has bungled the whole juggling trump thing. She's not only being followed around by anti-Trumpers, but she's emboldening her pro-Trump primary opponent.

[Maxwell]

Hassan is such a weak groveling person. She was also the only Democrat to not want Syrian immigrants.

[WVdemocrat]

Hassan is such a weak groveling person. She was also the only Democrat to not want Syrian immigrants.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

It's ridiculous that someone that is anti-gay adoption holds a senate seat in New England anyway.

[President Johnson]

LOL. It's a lack of backbone. Like little Marco and Ryan. "He's racist or a con man but I vote for him anyway". If they can't support Hillary, fine. Then go to Gary; his program isn't that bad. And he's a sane man. Consequence: Vote Hassan.

[Ogre Mage]

Ayotte:  I will lose anyway.

[Figueira]

It's ridiculous that someone that is anti-gay adoption holds a senate seat in New England anyway.

She opposes gay adoption? Now I want her to lose even more.

[HAnnA MArin County]

Maybe she's bracing for a loss and is preparing to stage a run against Shaheen in 2020 when the Republicans (don't) nominate another Trump? 

[Santander]

Hassan is such a weak groveling person. She was also the only Democrat to not want Syrian immigrants.

They were refugees, not immigrants.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

Maybe she's bracing for a loss and is preparing to stage a run against Shaheen in 2020 when the Republicans (don't) nominate another Trump? 

Lol, Shaheen has zero chance of losing. She'd be insane to run against her.

I think Ayotte would have beaten Shaheen in 2014. I know NH is trending left, but Scott Brown only lost by 5, and he had the liability of being a carpetbagger.