With Sen. Collins Announcing She Won’t Vote for Trump, Ayotte’s Continued Trump Support in Spotlight
Kelly Ayotte must be feeling a bit lonely at the moment. After Republican Sen. Susan Collins announced that she would not support Donald Trump in a Washington Post op-ed, Ayotte became the only U.S. Senator in New England supporting her party’s hateful and divisive nominee, support that Ayotte has maintained as Trump has blasted our NATO allies, a Gold Star family, and even suggested gun violence —and that’s just in the past two weeks.
Ayotte has made it clear that there is nothing Trump can do to lose her support, or to stop her from putting her own re-election prospects ahead of Granite State values. But as the only support Trump has left in New England, Ayotte now has the spotlight all to herself. Though given the coverage she’s received the past two days, we doubt she’s enjoying it:
Boston Globe (Editorial): The courage of Senator Susan Collins
The lone holdout in the New England Senate delegation is Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, and with each passing day her continued support for Trump becomes more inexcusable.
…
Ayotte, enmeshed in a reelection fight against Democrat Maggie Hassan, seems more concerned about her electoral fortunes than in doing the right thing for the country. She does not “endorse” Trump but does “support” him, a lawyerly formulation that legitimizes Trump’s candidacy. Instead, she should be joining Collins in choking off political support for a dangerous candidate. She may pay a political price, but there’s also a price for inaction: Ultimately, a senator who can’t manage to take a public, unequivocal stand against a man like Trump only raises questions about her own judgment.
WATCH from NECN: Kelly Ayotte Continues to Support Trump as Sen. Collins Rejects Him
“”None of this has swayed New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte, the only US Senator from New England to support Trump now that Collins has made her decision clear.”
Boston Globe (Editorial): Kelly Ayotte should disavow Donald Trump — now
After days of toying with her, Trump endorsed Ayotte Friday night. But Ayotte, a highly visible attorney general before she ran for Senate, should nevertheless immediately disavow Trump.
…
But President Obama has it right when he asks the simple question on every right-thinking voter’s mind: How can Ayotte and other Republicans continue to support Trump and the America he represents? Disavowing him is not only right, but can serve to strengthen what’s truly great about our democracy.
WATCH from MSNBC: Kelly Ayotte’s Painful Answers on Her Continued Trump Support
Portsmouth Herald: Ayotte stands by support of Trump
Sen. Kelly Ayotte affirmed her decision to support Donald Trump a day after fellow Republican and Maine Sen. Susan Collins wrote in an op-ed that she could not support the party’s presidential nominee.
NHPR: Speaking for Ayotte at Derry Forum, Lamontagne Reiterates Her Support for Trump
And while Ayotte has made the distinction that she supports but won’t endorse Trump, Lamontagne, speaking on her behalf, said it’s time for all Republicans need to get behind their nominee. “And this is a time of vetting. It’s important to note: who’s with us? We had every candidate in the presidential primary raise a hand give an oath they would support the nominee. Shame on any Republican candidate for president who would not endorse this candidate.” And Lamontagne made it clear Ayotte is behind Trump. “We have to work as a team,” Lamontagne said. “At the end of the day, the nominee is who we get behind. And I can assure you Kelly Ayotte will be part of the team.”
Boston Globe: With Trump rebuke, Susan Collins puts spotlight on New England Republicans
Their moves put pressure on Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire to denounce her support for the GOP nominee — just days after Trump disparaged her and then flipped to endorse her. Hours after Collins announced that she could not support Trump in a Washington Post op-ed, Ayotte found a national network news crew covering an everyday event for her — a Somersworth, N.H., roundtable commemorating national health center week. When asked about Trump, Ayotte, who is in a tough reelection battle, maintained her position that she is supporting, though not endorsing, Trump. “I’m going to continue every day to evaluate my support for anyone,” she told reporters. “I’ve said that I’m going to be voting for our nominee, but I’ve also been quite clear when I have disagreements with him, which I will continue to do.”
