THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

The New York Times in a reacharound to the Republican Senate has attempted to paint some of the endangered Senators in this years election as "moderate". It tries to do so by highlighting the one issue where they do not follow the lockstep march of their colleagues.

She may not always telegraph it, but the freshman senator is locked in a herculean battle with the state’s popular Democratic governor, Maggie Hassan. As one of five Senate Republicans running for re-election in states that supported President Obama in both 2008 and 2012, Ms. Ayotte is seen as particularly vulnerable this November, and a major reason national Democrats, now on the short end of a 54-46 Republican majority, are optimistic about taking back the Senate.

Six years ago, Ms. Ayotte was part of a Republican wave that swept Democrats out of power in blue states like Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as swing states like New Hampshire. For Ms. Ayotte and other Republicans from that class, 2016 was always going to be a difficult year to run for re-election because more Democrats vote in presidential years. But with the possibility that Donald J. Trump, the most divisive Republican presidential candidate in a generation, will head the ticket, the party’s task may be all the more arduous.

She may not always telegraph it, but the freshman senator is locked in a herculean battle with the state’s popular Democratic governor, Maggie Hassan. As one of five Senate Republicans running for re-election in states that supported President Obama in both 2008 and 2012, Ms. Ayotte is seen as particularly vulnerable this November, and a major reason national Democrats, now on the short end of a 54-46 Republican majority, are optimistic about taking back the Senate.

Six years ago, Ms. Ayotte was part of a Republican wave that swept Democrats out of power in blue states like Illinois and Wisconsin, as well as swing states like New Hampshire. For Ms. Ayotte and other Republicans from that class, 2016 was always going to be a difficult year to run for re-election because more Democrats vote in presidential years. But with the possibility that Donald J. Trump, the most divisive Republican presidential candidate in a generation, will head the ticket, the party’s task may be all the more arduous.

Her siding with Democrats was always like that of Susan Collins of Maine, disappearing in the wind when the crucial vote for passage came up. Indeed, the most used button on her desk is the "vote like Mitch" button.