Posted on 08/22/2014 6:33:24 AM PDT by SharpRightTurn
Scott Brown, the Republican Senate candidate in New Hampshire who has struggled to gain traction against his opponent Jeanne Shaheen, is within two points of the incumbent Democrat in a new poll from WMUR and the University of New Hampshire. The poll shows Shaheen with 46 percent support and Brown, the former GOP senator from Massachusetts, with 44 percent. The previous WMUR-UNH poll, from June, showed Shaheen with a 12-point lead over Brown, 52 percent to 40 percent.
After Hitting Shaheen on Immigration, Brown Closes Gap in New Hampshire
This is the closest poll of the race since January, with most giving Shaheen a comfortable lead. Even with the latest WMUR poll, the Democrat still has a 6.6-point average lead. The only other poll in recent months to show Brown within single digits was an NBC News poll giving Shaheen an 8-point advantage.
If the race is indeed tightening as the latest poll suggests, what could explain Shaheen's drop? Brown, despite having national name recognition and having represented New Hampshire's next-door neighbor in the Senate, may have been hurt early on by charges of carpetbaggery. While Brown did own a home in New Hampshire for years, Shaheen is something of a Granite State political institution, having served three two-year terms as its governor. Brown has spent the summer quietly meeting with voters across the state to establish his New Hampshire bona fides, and he's all but locked up the Republican nomination.
But Brown has also focused heavily on the issue of illegal immigration in television advertisements over the past few weeks, first highlighting security differences between the airport and the southern border, then hitting Shaheen more directly over her position on the Gang of 8 immigration bill, supported by President Obama. Shaheen, along with every other Democratic senator, voted for the Gang of 8 bill.
"Want to know why there's lawlessness on our border? Ask Senator Shaheen," said Brown in a 15-second TV ad that shows Shaheen and Obama standing together. "She voted against border security twice and for amnesty."
Brown's ads tying Shaheen to Obama's immigration policy may have been good politics. A recent national poll found Americans give Obama lower marks on immigration than his job generally, and 39 percent say they consider immigration one of their top three issues.
Yet Paul Ryan and the Republican establishment experts tell us we risk disaster at the polls if we don't get on board with amnesty.
Who are you going to believe, Paul Ryan or your lying eyes?
Don’t bother Ryan. He’s running for president. Mitt said so.
I am going crazy over rino ryan and his shamnesty support. This article is proof-positive that the nation does not want open borders and shamnesty.
Why doesn’t the gop get it that we want an alternative to demoRats. If we wanted open borders and shamnesty, we would vote RAT!!!!!
Taking a stand against Illegal Immigration has been a “winning issue” for the Republicans since at least 2006. But the GOP leadership has purposely been ignoring it. Why??
I’ve seen these ads. Brown does seem vulnerable to the carpetbagger argument, but the immigration ads are powerful, and the topic is timely.
Mitt Romney and the GOPe are going to prop up Paul Ryan for president. It’s so obvious now. Mitt can’t run but he’s getting his name out there in order to promote Ryan.
The immigration issue is the silver bullet. Does the GOP have the courage to spite the MSM and the democrats & use it?
I've never met anyone for "open borders" except for the most leftward Dennis Kucinich supporting types. The GOP is missing a chance to be on the right side on this.
“Why doesn’t the gop get it that we want an alternative to demoRats.”
The only explanation is that the Gutless Old Poops don’t care what the rank and file want because that is not their true constituency. The only poll they are interested in is “What is the Chamber of Commerce position on this issue?”
“Why??”
Answer in Post 9.
Brown is establishment but even he stumbled on to a winning issue. All this talk about how being against immigration is hurtful politically is nonsense. There are a bunch of blue collar Democrats- white and black - who want nothing to do with illegal immigration reform. They know who’s going to get hurt, politically and financially, from that.
“I’ve seen these ads. Brown does seem vulnerable to the carpetbagger argument, but the immigration ads are powerful, and the topic is timely.”
This is a no-brainer winning issue for Republicans. However, so many of them are compromised by their dependence on Chamber of Commerce money to fund their campaigns it’s like they’re touching Kryptonite to talk about national sovereignty.
We need a Native party. And a White caucus, too, while we’re at it.
Only if they get desperate enough when they realize they are about to go down in flames.
“The GOP is missing a chance to be on the right side on this.”
They’ve certainly earned the nickname “the Stupid Party”.
They don’t want to win.
“There are a bunch of blue collar Democrats- white and black - who want nothing to do with illegal immigration reform. They know who’s going to get hurt, politically and financially, from that.”
Absolutely. All but the lowest of low/no information voters know that the political and business elites are trying to take the few remaining lower level and mid-range jobs away from them by insourcing cheap, foreign labor (after outsourcing to other countries the jobs that could be outsourced).
This issue could be a huge winning issue for Republicans if they weren’t so compromised and mealy-mouthed.
I am RIGHT of Ted Cruz on most subjects, however, with the SUPREME COURT at stake, I will settle for Scott Brown from the HELL HOLE formerly known as the “Northeast” of the US. He would vote with the Republicans on SC nominees.
“I am RIGHT of Ted Cruz on most subjects, however, with the SUPREME COURT at stake, I will settle for Scott Brown from the HELL HOLE formerly known as the “Northeast” of the US. He would vote with the Republicans on SC nominees.”
I agree. If Brown is willing to oppose amnesty, even if he is mushy on some other issues, and if he is the best that can be elected in NH, then so be it.
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