Poll shows Ayotte ahead of Hassan in NH Senate matchup

New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) holds a slight lead over Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) in a new poll of a hypothetical matchup for Ayotte’s seat, a race that could prove to be one of the battleground elections determining the control of the Senate. 

{mosads}Ayotte is ahead 47 percent to 41 percent with likely voters, according to a new poll by the University of New Hampshire and WMUR-9 News. That result is outside the margin of error. 

Most local and national Democrats see Hassan as the party’s best shot at winning the seat on the way to taking back the Senate. But as Hassan hasn’t publicly announced a decision on whether to wade into the race, only 10 percent of likely voters are definitive, while 81 percent are still deciding. 

The finding comes just weeks after a poll sponsored by a major Democratic super-PAC showed Hassan holding a slight lead over Ayotte, as well as other recent polling that showed Ayotte ahead within the margin of error. 

The poll also details a dramatic slump in popularity for embattled Rep. Frank Guinta (R-N.H.), who recently settled with the Federal Election Commission to return more than $300,000 that the FEC says was an improper donation from his parents. 

Forty-nine percent of likely voters have an unfavorable view of Guinta, compared to just 25 percent who hold a favorable view of him. That’s a stark difference from his numbers when he was voted back into office in 2014, when both his favorables and unfavorables hovered around 28 percent.  

Guinta has maintained that he did nothing wrong and said he only settled in order to move on from the accusations that have dogged him for years. But he’s faced criticism from fellow Republicans and local media outlets, including from Ayotte, who called on him to resign. 

A plurality of likely voters want him to resign his seat, 44 percent. Fifty-five percent say that they would definitely vote for another candidate, including 33 percent of Republicans. Only 11 percent of Republicans are sure that they would vote for Guinta if he ran for reelection. 

Tags Kelly Ayotte Maggie Hassan

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