Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) tore into Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) on Tuesday after Ayotte called Donald Trump a role model, accusing Republicans of refusing to “stand up” to their presidential nominee.
Warren dismissed an attempt by the vulnerable GOP senator to walk back the comments, saying on Twitter “Sorry. That’s not leadership.”
{mosads}”You can’t walk this back. … [You] can’t support @realDonaldTrump‘s agenda, say you’re voting for him, then pretend to shake your finger,” the liberal favorite added on Tuesday.
Ayotte, who says she supports Trump but will not endorse him, tried to clarify her remarks after Monday night’s debate.
In a statement, she said, “Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton have set a good example and I wouldn’t hold up either of them as role models for my kids.
But Democrats and outside groups have seized on Ayotte’s remarks, arguing that they underscore that Republican senators back the party’s nominee despite their attempts to stand clear of Trump’s controversies.
GOP incumbents have tried to walk a fine line on Trump as they defend 24 Senate seats: keeping distance from his streak of controversies while also refusing to cut ties completely and risk alienating a conservative base they’ll need to win reelection.
But Warren said Tuesday that if Republicans “don’t have the backbone to stand up to [Trump] they don’t have the backbone to stand up for working families.”
Ayotte and Gov. Maggie Hassan (D) are in a tight battle with little more than a month until Election Day. Democrats need to win back fives seats — or four if they also retain the White House — to regain a majority in the Senate. The New Hampshire race is likely to be pivotal in determining which party controls the upper chamber next year.
Democrats are hoping that Trump atop the Republican ticket will help them in a handful of purple states — including New Hampshire — that were previously carried by President Obama by negatively impacting down-ballot races.