Senator Kelly Ayotte has refused to endorse a candidate in the contest for the Republican nomination — at least officially. But a month before last night’s primary, Ayotte all but gave her stamp of approval to Donald Trump in a radio interview with New Hampshire Today.
Here’s the transcript:
Jack Heath: Are you ruling out a Republican presidential endorsement? Or keeping an open mind?
Kelly Ayotte: I’m always keeping an open mind on something so important, Jack. But again, I think what really matters is who really is resonating with the people of New Hampshire and working hard at earning their vote and answering the tough questions. I think that will become clear on February 9th.
At the time of the interview, a CNN/WMUR poll had Trump winning in the state by 20 points — just like he did last night. While many pundits have said a Trump nomination would gravely hurt Ayotte’s re-election chances, she’s repeatedly refused to distance herself from him, even calling his campaign a “positive thing.”
Trump’s candidacy has already been disastrous for the GOP, and after last night’s win it seems more and more likely he will be the Republican nominee. Ayotte had her chance to slow the real estate mogul’s momentum and refused. An endorsement from Ayotte could have cleared the path for a victory from a less extreme candidate, but the senator showed no signs of support for anyone but the divisive demagogue.
Officially or not — Kelly Ayotte may as well have endorsed Donald Trump.
Published: Feb 10, 2016 | Last Modified: Jan 18, 2024