Binnie Surges in NH GOP Senate Race
Sarah Palin's endorsement of Kelly Ayotte and a new third party ad slamming rival Bill Binnie may not be enough to stem Binnie's rise in the polls.
The New Hampshire Republican primary continues to make headlines as former Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and businessman Bill Binnie spar for the nomination.
Ayotte received Sarah Palin’s endorsement last week, and was greeted by even more good news when conservative third-party group Cornerstone Action announced the release of a one-minute radio ad slamming Binnie for being too liberal:
The ad, titled ‘Shockingly Liberal’, takes issue with Binnie’s positions on TARP, gay marriage, the Arizona immigration law and elements of President Obama’s healthcare reform package.
Why would Cornerstone release this ad now? Perhaps to capitalize on the anti-Binnie momentum that has stemmed from Palin’s Ayotte endorsement.
But consider this unconventional view of how things may be playing out in New Hampshire: Palin’s endorsement hasn’t been paying off as well as Ayotte might have hoped, and Cornerstone is hoping to beat back a Binnie campaign which has been steadily rising in the polls since it announced its candidacy.
There is some evidence to support the notion of a stalling Ayotte campaign. Palin’s endorsement wasn’t warmly received by the New Hampshire Union-Leader, for example. A key conservative paper in the state, it ran a front-page editorial slamming Palin:
Sarah Palin’s endorsement of Kelly Ayotte for U.S. Senate should neither surprise nor upset the other campaigns. The race will be won by the candidate who impresses New Hampshire voters, and New Hampshire voters are rarely impressed by what outsiders have to say…
Former Gov. Palin isn't making these endorsements because, as she claims, she has spent time in New Hampshire and thus knows that the people here are a lot like Alaskans. She spent a few hours here on one day during the 2008 Presidential election. That's still more time than she spent getting to know Ayotte, but it takes quite a bit longer to know New Hampshire.
In an anyone-but-Binnie move, Cornerstone may be trying desperately to stanch the rise of this Republican business leader. This is one of the last few interesting primaries to watch this cycle. Keep a close eye on this one - the primary date is set for September 14th.