Republican Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., explained Monday why it took so long for her to revoke her support for Donald Trump Monday.
“You know, I stood up and called Donald Trump out on many occasions, and that tape for me having been a prosecutor was fundamentally different,” she said on CNN Monday.
“And that, to me, is, you know, why I’m not voting for him, but I’m not voting for Hillary Clinton either, because I cannot support her policies and this race is really about, you know, New Hampshire, and New Hampshire’s priorities.”
The former state attorney general is in a tough re-election battle over the New Hampshire seat that is predicted to be key for control of the Senate. The conservative previously said she supported, but refused to endorse, Donald Trump. She changed this precarious political position after the release of a 2005 recording of the Republican presidential nominee talking about forcing himself on women.
Ayotte admitted on CNN that her widely criticized comment during a debate with her opponent Democrat Maggie Hassan that Donald Trump is a good role model was a “mistake.”
“I corrected that because I made a mistake. I mean, debates, many people are — you’re asked a lot of questions at a debate.” She reiterated her stance that she will not vote for Trump on election day and will write in his running mate Mike Pence’s name instead.
