Shaheen on Obama visit: ‘I expect him to be in Washington’

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) on Thursday declined to say whether a campaign visit by President Obama would be helpful as she faces a tough reelection race against Republican Scott Brown. 

{mosads}”Well, the president is dealing with a lot of crises in the world right now,” Shaheen told MSNBC.

“And I think it’s important for him to continue to address what’s happening with ISIS, to continue to address the Ebola scare. And so, I expect him to be in Washington.”

Obama has largely stayed off the campaign trail this year, other than attending private fundraisers, as his approval ratings remain low even in states that he won in 2012, such as New Hampshire.

Brown has sought to make ISIS, which Shaheen referenced as a crisis facing Obama, a centerpiece of the campaign. Brown has tried to tie Shaheen to Obama’s policy on ISIS, which he argues is a failure. 

Shaheen had a far different response when asked about visits by the Clintons, who have been more in-demand on the campaign trail. 

Former President Bill Clinton is scheduled to campaign at a dinner in New Hampshire on Oct. 16, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to campaign in the state, also home to the first presidential primary, on Nov. 2. 

“They’re going to be here, and I’m delighted to have their support and to have them coming up to help us,” Shaheen said of the Clintons. 

“I think at this point in the campaign, we want to turn out everybody we can, because New Hampshire has a very big percentage drop-off between the presidential year and the non-presidential year,” she added. “And what we really want is people to know there’s an election coming up November the 4th and to get out there and vote.”