Dem group apologizes for tracking Ayotte

The Democratic research group American Bridge apologized on Monday for following Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) at a memorial service over the weekend.

The organization, dedicated to digging up opposition research on GOP candidates, said the mistake happened after a miscommunication and it does not usually attend those types of events.

“As a matter of policy, American Bridge does not attend nor film these types of events,” the group said in an email.

“There was a miscommunication with our staff on the ground in New Hampshire that led to this unfortunate mistake. We sincerely apologize and regret the error. Our staff has addressed the issue internally in order to ensure this never happens again.”

The group tweeted out an apology as well on Monday.

A reporter for WMUR in New Hampshire over the weekend called out the organization for having a tracker recording Ayotte during her remarks at a memorial for Raymond Burton, New Hampshire’s longest-serving executive council. He died last month.

Hey @AmericanBridge tracker: Put away your damn camera taping @KellyAyotte and others at Ray Burton memorial service. #nhpolitics #getclass

— James Pindell (WMUR) (@JamesPindell) December 14, 2013

Many times opposition campaigns and outside groups hire a staffer to follow a candidate and record her every word, which can later be used in ads and opposition research. The technique has become increasingly aggressive in recent elections and led to a few dustups during the 2012 elections.

Ayotte is up for reelection in 2016 and is sometimes considered a potential candidate for president.

A number of lawmakers, including Ayotte, gave a series of innocuous remarks about Burton at the memorial service, according to the Union Leader.

“He was the gold standard for public service,” Ayotte said during her remarks. “People look at his model as a way of getting things done. He was a statesman who truly raised the bar for public service.”

Ayotte did not respond to a request for comment.