Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Republican challenger Scott Brown sparred over Ebola, ISIS and the minimum wage at a debate on Thursday night.
{mosads}The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and Ebola have dominated the race, as Brown has argued President Obama is mishandling the threats. A CNN poll released earlier Thursday found Shaheen leads by just 2 points, 49 percent to 47 percent, among likely voters.
Brown’s recent comments that “we would not be worrying about Ebola right now” if Mitt Romney had won in 2012 were an early source of contention.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who was hosting the debate, read the comments aloud, and Brown said that they were “taken out of context.”
He has called for a clearer plan from Obama on Ebola and called for a travel ban from affected countries in West Africa.
“I never said Ebola is crossing the border,” Brown said. But he added: “If Ebola hits Latin America people are going to be coming through that southern border like it’s a wide open situation, as it is.”
“She calls it fearmongering, I call it rational fear,” Brown said, referring to Shaheen.
Shaheen, like Democrats across the country, is not eager for an unpopular Obama to visit. “I don’t think it makes sense for the president to come to New Hampshire right now,” Shaheen said when asked.
“The fact is he’s busy in Washington,” she added. “He’s dealing with the Ebola threat, the threat of ISIS, I think he’s exactly where he needs to be.”
Shaheen gave a similar response earlier this month, when she told MSNBC, “I expect him to be in Washington.”
Brown hit Shaheen and Obama on the strategy against ISIS for ruling out U.S. troops on the ground. “To take the greatest fighting force off the table right away is not how you deal with a battle.” He said he would listen to generals for their recommendations.
“The threat of ISIS is real, but again we should not be fearmongering about the threat of ISIS,” Shaheen said.
“I was asking questions about ISIS before my opponent ever moved to New Hampshire,” she later added, a reference to Brown previously being a senator from Massachusetts.
The issue came up after it was revealed Thursday that Brown listed Massachusetts as his employer on a filing.
As the debate continued, Shaheen defended ObamaCare, despite its controversy. “I believe everybody in New Hampshire should have access to quality affordable healthcare. That’s what I voted for and that’s what i continue to supprt,” she said, noting some changes could be made. Brown calls for repealing and replacing the law.
When Brown hit Shaheen for being the deciding vote on the law, Shaheen interrupted: “There were 60 of us, everybody was a deciding vote.”
Brown hit the Obama administration while saying he opposed a minimum wage increase as it is currently being presented.
“I supported minimum wage increases before, but here’s the key everybody was at the table what’s happening now is another effort by the obama administration as supported by Senator Shaheen, to dictate to businesses what they’re going to pay,” he said.
He added his first job was at Dunkin Donuts cleaning the grease trap. “I still remember what the smell is,” he said.