N.H. Senate race shifts to foreign policy — but to whose advantage?

From the moment Kelly Ayotte entered the Senate five years ago, the New Hampshire Republican has worked to build a national reputation as a leading hawk on foreign policy. Meanwhile, for her November opponent, Governor Maggie Hassan, foreign policy might be “the biggest challenge,” as the Concord Monitor’s editorial board wrote in April.

But as Americans are uneasy about Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump having control over the nation’s nuclear button, Hassan’s team sees an opening to flip the issue of foreign policy in her favor politically.

As a result foreign policy is being discussed more in the New Hampshire race than any other congressional race in the country, according Jennifer Duffy, who analyzes Senate races for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report in Washington, D.C.

“There are reasons that both candidates are talking about foreign policy now,” Duffy said. “For Ayotte, it is a way for her to show she is experienced and is different from Trump. For Hassan, it is a chance to move to the center on an issue that, frankly, Republican voters care more about.”

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