New Hampshire's local media criticized Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D., N.H.) for failing to justify her partisan voting record. Shaheen votes with President Obama 99 percent of the time, a record WBZ said is the senator's "Achilles' heel."
"You saw the Achilles’ heel if you will of the Shaheen re-election campaign, and that is, her association with President Obama," said political analyst Jon Keller.
During Tuesday's debate for U.S. Senate the audience erupted in laughter after Shaheen refused to answer when asked if she approved of how Obama was handling his job. Later in the debate, Shaheen failed to explain why she had voted with the president 99 percent of the time. Instead, she gave a nuanced response-"I work for New Hampshire," she said.
Shaheen and other Democrats facing re-election including, Sens. Mark Pryor (D., Ark.) and Mary Landrieu (D., La.), are getting slammed in their home states for their tight association with the White House.
"[Shaheen’s] hanging in there," Keller said, referencing a WBZ/UMass Amherst poll published Monday. "But that’s really something to watch down the stretch."
Shaheen’s opponent, Republican Scott Brown, has touted the Democrat’s strict partisanship throughout the campaign. He trails Shaheen by four points.