On Sunday, New Hampshire Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan ripped into the Republican presidential contenders, claiming the trio would be bad for democracy.
During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet The Press” just before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) ended his presidential campaign, Hassan voiced her belief that the law would not be prioritized by the Republican primary field, pointing out that DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley are committed to supporting the eventual GOP nominee, which includes former President Trump.
Hassan cited many statements and deeds by Trump that show he condones violent behavior. Trump’s remarks from November equating his political opponents to “vermin” that need exposing were critical. Some compared the statement to the rhetoric of an autocratic leader, and it drew heavy criticism.
The Republican National Committee’s primary debates were only open to candidates who had already pledged their support for the party’s nominee for president. After officially endorsing Trump, DeSantis suspended his candidacy on Sunday.
Hassan is from the Granite State, New Hampshire, home of Tuesday’s first-in-the-nation primary—the same state where Trump and Haley will square off.
The ex-president is ahead of Haley by 11.2 percent, according to a polling index by Decision Desk HQ and The Hill.
Recent polling by CNN and the University of New Hampshire, published just before DeSantis’s statement, suggests that Trump’s support in New Hampshire would increase if DeSantis withdraws from the GOP race. Even while Haley was the choice for a lesser proportion of prospective GOP New Hampshire voters, most of those who picked DeSantis as their top candidate also preferred Trump as their second choice.
Trump easily won last week’s Iowa caucuses, leading DeSantis and Haley by a wide margin. Haley came in third place.
Sen. Maggie Hassan highlighted the importance of New Hampshire Democrats continuing writing in Joe Biden, even if Biden decided to boycott Tuesday’s vote due to a disagreement over the primary timetable.
She said Democrats and Independents must cast their ballots on Tuesday to acknowledge the gravity of the election and have their opinions heard.
