Shaheen touts student loan reform push in new ad

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) launched a new statewide television ad Sunday, a positive spot touting her efforts to reform student loan payments.

{mosads}In the ad, Shaheen notes that New Hampshire students leave school with an average of $33,000 in loan debt, the second-highest sum of any state in the country, according to WMUR.

“But right now, our students can’t refinance their loans the way you can refinance a car loan or a mortgage,” Shaheen says in the ad. “I want to change that. I am fighting for a bill to allow students to refinance their loans. It will lower rates and save families thousands of dollars.”

Shaheen was an original co-sponsor of legislation introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) in May that would have allowed students to refinance student loan debt at lower interest rates. But last month, the bill failed in the Senate, due largely to Republican opposition. 

Democrats though have touted the student loan bill in competitive races nationwide, presenting it as an effort to improve economic conditions for the middle class in the face of Republican obstruction.

The New Hampshire senator faces a likely challenge from former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown (R) in the fall.

Brown must still survive a Sept. 9 primary to win the GOP nomination, but polls show Shaheen holding a steady lead over him. The most recent survey found Shaheen ahead by 8 percentage points.