Posted on 04/11/2014 8:15:33 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
The worst-kept secret in midterm politics has finally passed its expiration date. Former US Senator Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts after Ted Kennedy’s death, will run against New Hampshire incumbent Jeanne Shaheen in November, assuming he wins the GOP primary in the Granite State. Brown officially opened his campaign with a blast against ObamaCare, which he said forces New Hampshire voters to “live free or log on” rather than operate under the state motto of “live free or die”:
He accused Democratic incumbent Jeanne Shaheen of being a rubber stamp for President Barack Obama, and criticized her support for the federal health care overhaul law.
“It forces us to make a choice – live free or log on. Right? Live free or log on. And guess what? Guess what? In New Hampshire, guess what we choose? We choose freedom,” Brown said.
Brown said if he goes back to Washington, he won’t be anyone’s yes man.
“We don’t just follow the crowd wherever it’s going. In government, especially in government, we expect more of ourselves than just to follow a party boss or a party line,” Brown said.
Brown expects to get attacked over his move from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, although he told WMUR that voters don’t mention it to him at all. Both Shaheen and other Republican primary opponents have taken aim at carpetbagging. Brown’s campaign tried reversing that on Shaheen at yesterday’s event:
Brown was introduced by former Gov. John H. Sununu, who called Shaheen Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s “favorite rubber stamp. She also happens to be Barack Obama’s favorite rubber stamp.”
“This is the third senator from Massachusetts.”
Even though Brown hadn’t officially entered the race, Shaheen’s campaign has been going after him in an attempt to either pre-empt his attacks or perhaps persuade him to sit out the midterms. A new Granite State poll from WMUR shows that it’s not working very well:
A new poll shows that as Republican Scott Brown prepares to officially announce he’s running for Senate in New Hampshire, he has gained some ground on U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.
The WMUR Granite State Poll shows that Shaheen leads Brown 45 to 39 percent, with 14 percent undecided. In a January poll, Shaheen had a 10-point lead, 47 to 37 percent.
The poll of likely New Hampshire voters was conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center by landline and cellphone from April 1 through April 9 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
That’s not much of a gain, but the attempts by Shaheen to marginalize Brown over the last three months aren’t having any impact. At 45% and declining (slightly), Shaheen looks vulnerable — especially since the GOP hasn’t even selected its nominee yet. Brown has to pick up his favorability numbers, but he’s got plenty of upside in this poll and a change to change the unfavorability figure with a New Hampshire-focused campaign.
In my opinion, the carpet bagger issue shouldn’t be an issue.
If Democrats can roll out Hillary Clinton, or in the past, Bobby Kennedy, to run in New York, when then really lived elsewhere, then if Democrats are intellectually honest, they can’t say anything about a Republican doing the same.
As I understand, Scott Brown actually has owned property in New Hampshire all these years, so he is less of a carpet bagger than someone such as Hillary Clinton was.
Not that I am so enthralled about Scott Brown on other issues, but, he may be the best the GOP can do in liberal New England nowadays.
Good. I don’t know for sure but I believe he is the republican most likely to win in that state.
He’s certainly not my ideal candidate but if it can help take control of the senate away from the demos, I am for it.
My guess is that he’s likely the best repubs can hope for in N.H.
Yes, but Brown brings with him the additional baggage with the label "I lost in another state so I thought I'd try this one." Neither Hillary nor RFK had lost in other states before trying New York.
I would never vote for a candidate that hasn’t lived in my state for at least the preceding decade.
Excellent.
The more Dem’s feel threatened, the more they will continue to panic and waste $$$$.
I’m hopeful to have pickups in CO and NH.
True, a conservative would be better but its not going to happen for many years, if ever in NH.
When pigs fly.
I consider this good news, given Shaheen is a Dem fixture and Obama worshipper.
Would love to be a fly on the wall when Brown sits in the Senate with Elizabeth Warren.
ANY seat we can take away from ANY DEM is a plus! Conservatives are starting to win the battle for re-defining the GOP. Majority rules and we need majorities in both chambers....asap!
Backstabber Brown (Team Romney) did not even
pick a party. He is both. He is D and he is R.
And he is L, if you want. And he is there.
And here.
Loon.
Forget Clinton. Shaheen herself is a carpet-bagger. She was born in Missouri!
Loon.
Have you looked in a mirror lately?
>> She was born in Missouri! <<
And to make matters worse — or better, depending on your point of view — she got her master’s degree from the University of Mississippi!
That’s the best we could do there? Seriously?
sad that NH cannot do better than this
I think nepotism stinks way worse than losing an election in the Soviet Republic of MA.
Good luck with that one. At lest she's lived there 30 years. Brown has lived there, what, 30 days? If that?
Well, he has seen Mt. Washington from his porch on Lake Winnipesaukee.
I agree, Harry Reid and Jeanne Shaheen are much better!
And how would Brown vote any differently then Shitheen?. Aren't you tired of being a vote whore for the GOPe? I surly am. No more Dole/McLame/Romney types. Brown will stab NH in the back every chance he gets. He is in it only for himself, he could care less about the people of NH. He made that very clear if you read between the lines during is announcement to run.
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