Ayotte feeling heat on gun vote
Senators in several states take a hit on background checks.
WARREN, N.H. - The contentious fight over gun control moved into the White Mountains of New Hampshire on Tuesday as gun-control activists began to focus on Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a prime target in their effort to revive their push for stricter gun laws.
Ayotte (R., N.H.) was a high-profile vote against the plan to expand the national gun background-check program, which failed in the Senate two weeks ago despite overwhelming public support. The failure was widely seen as a triumph for the National Rifle Association.
Back home this week for a series of town-hall meetings, Ayotte is facing new constituent anger and a coordinated effort by those gun-control groups to turn her vote into a political liability. Groups are also deploying organizers to Arizona, Arkansas, Nevada, and North Dakota in hopes of pressuring moderate senators of both parties who voted against the background-check plan.
Polls show Sens. Mark Begich and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Jeff Flake of Arizona, and Rob Portman of Ohio all taking a hit in support after voting against tougher background checks.
In New Hampshire, State Rep. Steve Shurtleff, a Democrat, gave Ayotte credit for facing her detractors at several town halls this week but said he thinks she will have to answer to voters on the background-check vote, even if her reelection is still more than three years away.
At a town hall Tuesday, Ayotte explained that she voted against the background-check plan because she believed it was flawed and wouldn't have stopped the Sandy Hook killer.
"What we need to do is focus on mental health, ultimately," she said.
As she travels across New Hampshire, Ayotte need only turn on the radio to hear some encouragement, as the NRA and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a firearms-industry trade association, began airing radio ads to thank her. The NRA ad stars a female announcer who says that Ayotte "is not just a senator, she's also a mom, who cares about protecting our kids."
NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam dismissed the increased activism on the other side.
"This is a fight that will be won on the ground," he said, "and that's where the NRA is strongest."
