“Silent in the Shadows.” Republicans Slam Ayotte for Refusing to Say Who She Voted for in the Primary

“Silent in the Shadows.” Republicans Slam Ayotte for Refusing to Say Who She Voted for in the Primary

Panek: Ayotte has “barely shown her face in New Hampshire for almost a decade” and represents “kind of evasive politics exemplified by… D.C. politicians.”

State Representative Sandra Panek penned an op-ed in NHJournal slamming Republican candidate for governor and former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte for her refusal to say who she voted for in New Hampshire’s pivotal presidential primary and her “unwillingness to even say the president’s name,” and urging New Hampshire Republicans to “reject the kind of evasive politics exemplified by Kelly Ayotte and D.C. politicians.”

According to Panek, Ayotte’s behavior “exposes the sentiment she’s held since 2016,” referring to when Ayotte infamously unendorsed Trump, which many, including Panek, say cost her reelection that year. Since then, Panek notes, Ayotte has “barely shown her face in New Hampshire for almost a decade.”

As Panek points out, Ayotte’s “evasive tactics and tepid adherence to Republican values” are in stark contrast to her primary opponent Chuck Morse’s “unapologetic support for President Trump,” attending the former president’s rallies and encouraging Granite Staters to vote for him in the primary. Morse has also questioned Ayotte’s refusal to say who she supported in January’s primary, noting that “the public keeps asking (who she supported).”

Panek isn’t the only Republican frustrated by Ayotte’s ambivalence. Congresswoman Elise Stefanik took a jab at Ayotte, calling herself the “only Republican woman from the Northeast to still support Trump.” Thad Riley, former political director for Trump acolyte Vivek Ramaswamy, called Ayotte outfor refusing to take a side, noting that “without any endorsement, we don’t know where she stands on really anything.”

“Every day that passes where Kelly Ayotte refuses to say who she supported in the state’s primary serves as a reminder to Granite Staters that she will do and say anything (or nothing) to get elected, even if that means going back on her own values,” said DGA States Press Secretary Emma O’Brien. “Nearly eight years later, it’s clear Ayotte has learned nothing from her past failed campaigns, including the fact that Granite Staters can see right through her. No matter how hard she tries, Kelly Ayotte’s own Party isn’t even buying her latest act.”

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