New Hampshire Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte’s campaign accused Democrat Maggie Hassan of foregoing her duties as governor to fundraise in Washington, D.C.
The New Hampshire Union Leader reported on Tuesday that Hassan spent 12 days travelling out-of-state, including a two-day sojourn to fundraise in Washington, D.C., and dodge questions from the Washington Free Beacon.
The Ayotte campaign criticized Hassan’s travel schedule, calling her a "no show governor" in a release sent Tuesday afternoon.
"When Governor Hassan announced her Senate campaign, she promised that she would be focused 'each and every day' on her job as governor," spokeswoman Liz Johnson said in a release.
The Hassan campaign did not respond to request for comment, but her campaign manager told New Hampshire Republican party chief Jennifer Horn that the governor acted appropriately during her travel.
"The state incurred no travel costs for the governor's above travels," Goldberg wrote in a letter obtained by the Union Leader.
Hassan has criticized the Senate’s handling of President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, telling reporters in February that the Senate GOP was not "doing its job" when party leaders announced they would table any nomination to fill Antonin Scalia’s seat until after the election.
"It's also unacceptable to think that the Senate would stop doing its job for the next year, just because of partisan politics," she said after a White House meeting.
The Ayotte campaign said that Hassan has failed to address pressing needs of the state. It pointed to the April revelation that the Division of Children, Youth, and Families faces a tight budget and out-of-date technology that have hindered its ability to respond to the needs of New Hampshire juveniles.
"As concerns are raised about her administration’s handling of cases at the [Division of Children, Youth, and Families], the disability waitlist, and a stalled hospital crisis unit, Hassan's absence from the state raises important questions about her engagement on these pressing issues," she said in the release.
April marked Hassan’s busiest travel schedule of the campaign to date. She had been out of state for a combined 19 days in February and March, according to the Union Leader.