New Hampshire Republicans are attacking Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) for holding a September fundraiser with a “fat cat lobbyist” in Washington.
The new attack,shared first with The Hill, is the GOP’s latest attempt to cast Shaheen as being too busy for her home state. Republicans are attacking the incumbent for having too few town hall meetings in New Hampshire.
{mosads}The attack comes on the heels of news — which the New Hampshire Democratic Party trumpeted — that her likely Republican opponent, Scott Brown, is holding his own out-of-state fundraiser in Tennessee later this month, on the eve of his daughter’s wedding.
An invitation shows Shaheen is scheduled for a dinner fundraiser at the home of Bill and Cindi Broydrick, a lobbyist couple, in Washington’s tony Georgetown neighborhood on Sept. 10. Contributions range from $1,000 to $2,500.
New Hampshire GOP Chairwoman Jennifer Horn said in a statement that the fundraiser is the latest example of Shaheen “thumbing her nose” at New Hampshire’s town hall tradition.
“Senator Jeanne Shaheen doesn’t have time for town hall meetings in New Hampshire because she is too busy rubbing shoulders with Washington special interests at the home of a fat cat lobbyist,” Horn said.
“Shaheen continues to thumb their nose at New Hampshire’s proud tradition of open and accessible government because she is unwilling to defend her record of voting with President Obama 99 percent of the time. It’s time to replace Jeanne Shaheen with a responsible Republican senator who will listen to New Hampshire and stand up for the issues that matter to our state.”
Although frequent town halls aren’t a job requirement in Congress, and Shaheen returns to the state often, New Hampshire is indeed known for a tradition of intimate town halls where constituents can discuss issues with lawmakers.
The New Hampshire GOP has targeted Shaheen for hosting so few, posting a ticker on its website counting the time that’s passed since her last town hall, and sending a staffer in a chicken costume to follow her around at public events. That staffer was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct during a parade last weekend.
But Republicans believe the stunt helps get their point across, and highlights what they see as Shaheen’s unwillingness to confront her record on issues like ObamaCare and the economy. In contrast, Brown has been touring the state, hosting frequent town halls as he seeks to introduce himself to voters after moving to New Hampshire in December of last year.