GOP Senate Majority Crumbling Under Trump As New Poll Shows Kelly Ayotte Losing Big

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Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:23 pm

It’s not just Donald Trump’s presidential campaign that is crumbling in recent days. New polling indicates that he may be bringing down the Republican’s Senate majority with him.

A survey released from WMUR/UNH on Thursday shows Democratic Senate candidate Maggie Hassan pulling into a nine-point lead over Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte in the New Hampshire Senate race.

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The poll represents a seven-point shift toward the Democrat since the pollster’s last survey and could be the difference-maker when it comes to Democrats winning a majority in the chamber.

The surge of momentum for Hassan comes on the heels of two major events: 1. The implosion of Donald Trump’s campaign, and 2. Ayotte’s comments earlier in the month in which she said that Trump is a person children could look up to.

“Well, I think that certainly there are many role models that we have, and I believe he can serve as president, and so absolutely I would do that,” Ayotte said after being asked if she would consider the Republican nominee a role model.

Ayotte was forced to walk back the comment, saying she “misspoke,” but the damage clearly appears to be done.

The numbers out of New Hampshire are also consistent with polling out of other key states, like Nevada, which has shown a surprising late surge of momentum for Democratic Senate candidate Catherine Cortez Masto. After trailing in most polls throughout the year, Cortez Masto’s recent surge now has her leading the race by an average of 2.3 percentage points.

According to FiveThirtyEight’s forecast, the Democrats now have a 73 percent chance of retaking the Senate on Nov. 8, and it’s in large part because of these two key races.

Donald Trump’s unraveling presidential campaign is clearly taking a toll on down-ballot Senate races with less than three weeks until Election Day.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.