North Conway, n.h.
“ISIS knows it,” said Hassan, the sitting two-term governor of New Hampshire. “They know that in the United States it’s really easy to circumvent the current laws and get weapons.”
Gun violence has taken a national spotlight in the wake of several mass shootings, including the June shooting at an Orlando, Fla., nightclub that killed 49 people.
Hassan supports banning people on terror watch lists from purchasing guns and expanding federal background checks to include firearms bought online or at gun shows. Ayotte argued the most important step is aggressively enforcing the country’s existing laws.
“What I have supported is making sure that we help fix the background check system,” said Ayotte, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and has opposed expanded background checks. “There is an abysmal record on prosecuting gun violence and also violations of our background check system right now.”
The debate at the North Conway Grand Hotel featured little back-and-forth between the candidates, but each took turns targeting the other’s record.
They split on major issues, including the Affordable Care Act, the Iran nuclear deal and whether to overturn the Citizens United decision.
Presidential politics loom large over the race, but didn’t feature prominently in the first of six scheduled U.S. Senate debates.
Both candidates said they are not afraid to stand up to their party’s presidential nominee.
Ayotte — who supports but does not endorse Donald Trump — said she disagrees with the businessman’s plans to handle Russian aggression, Vladimir Putin and NATO.
Hassan said she is proud to support Democrat Hillary Clinton, but identified President Obama’s plan to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay as an area of disagreement with her own party.
Ayotte didn’t mention Clinton, but Hassan called Ayotte’s support of Trump a weakness.
“This is a man who has no plan when it comes to defeating ISIS,” she said.
New Hampshire’s U.S. Senate race is one of the most competitive in the country, and has the potential to tip party control of the chamber. Polls show the contest locked in a dead heat.
Spending in the race is expected to reach a record-setting $100 million.
Ayotte and Hassan both panned the flow of outside money into the race, but Ayotte criticized Hassan for not signing a pledge earlier this year meant to limit third-party money in their contest.