Republican New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte leads Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan by 3 points in her race for re-election with only two weeks until Election Day, according to a new poll released Tuesday.
According to a new survey of likely voters by UMass Amherst/WBZ-TV, Ayotte leads with 46 percent support over the sitting governor’s 43 percent. Eight percent of Granite State voters remain undecided. Including voters leaning one way or another, her lead extends to 4 points, with the incumbent Republican taking 48 percent to Hassan’s 44 percent.
A major point of contention in the contest has been Ayotte’s support for Donald Trump. The senator rescinded her endorsement after a tape of Trump making lewd comments about women was released publicly. However, the impact on the race has been minimal.
According to the poll, 64 percent of voters say her change in support makes no difference concerning their vote. Nineteen percent of voters say the change in stance makes them less likely to vote for her, while 15 percent say it makes them more likely to vote for her.
“She seems to be well-known by New Hampshire voters, they trust her,” WBZ-UMass Amherst pollster Ray LaRaja said. “Even voters who are unfavorable toward Trump are saying, ‘We’re still considering voting for Ayotte.’ She’s inoculated herself fairly well from Trump, and unlike the other Republican candidates, she’s winning with independent voters.”
The poll was taken of 772 likely voters and has a margin of error of 4.5 percent, putting Ayotte’s lead squarely inside the margin.
According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Hassan leads Ayotte by less than a point, taking 45.6 percent support to the New Hampshire Republican’s 44.8 percent.
