A top Democratic Senate candidate says the president should probably stick to his day job in Washington instead of coming to campaign for her.
Appearing on Andrea Mitchell Reports, Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said that she's "delighted" to have the support of Hillary and Bill Clinton, who are making separate trips to boost her in the tight contest with Republican Scott Brown.
But when host Andrea Mitchell asked if having President Barack Obama campaign for her would "not be helpful," Shaheen said she’s happy with the commander-in-chief keeping his focus off the campaign trail.
"Well, the president's dealing with a lot of crises in the world right now, and I think it's important for him to continue to address what's happening with ISIS, to continue to address the Ebola scare," she said. "And so I expect him to be in Washington."
Because of his sagging popularity, Obama is keeping a low profile less than four weeks before the November elections.
A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Annenberg poll found that an endorsement by Barack Obama would have a net negative impact on a candidate he backed.
Brown's campaign pounced on the exchange, blasting it via email to reporters.
Elizabeth Guyton, a spokesperson for Brown, told NBC News:
“Senator Shaheen may be attempting to distance herself from President Obama today, but she has embraced him and policies at every step during her six years in Washington, Last week, President Obama said that ‘every single one’ of his policies are on the ballot this November, and Senator Shaheen has supported every single one of those policies. The people of New Hampshire are smart enough to see through Senator Shaheen’s election year rhetoric, and in 26 days, they’ll get a chance to pass a final judgment on the failed Obama/Shaheen agenda by electing Scott Brown.”
