Sen. Kelly Ayotte has endured blowback from conservatives disappointed with her decision to back the “Gang of Eight” immigration reform bill.

Earlier this week, my colleague Byron York published a thoughtful column juxtaposing the New Hampshire Republican’s position on this politically charged legislation, now being debated on the Senate floor, with the immigration views she expressed in the heat of a 2010 GOP primary that the senator won by a nose. As York noted, Ayotte’s position on immigration policy then did not necessarily suggest that she would support the “Gang of Eight” bill — at least in its current form.