Where Is Senator Ayotte?
One of the most important strategies any elected official must employ is being seen with his/her constituents in their home states. This is a key concept when running for reelection. Everyone wants to believe their elected official is working for them, and there is no better way to make that happen by making numerous appearances in the their home state. The state of New Hampshire went in Obama's favor in 2012 so Ayotte knows her seat is not deemed a "safe" seat. Senator Ayotte makes herself noticeable and informs her constituents on what she is up to in many different ways. They include:
- Social Media Accounts (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram)
- Press Releases from her office
- Issuing weekly Newsletters both in local newspapers and online
Members of Congress which are already elected and are running for reelection have an advantage when it comes to travel. They are allotted funds in which they are able to use for travel expenses. This is part of the infamous incumbent advantage. All of the rules for how travel expenses can be handled can be found at: http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/travel.
Recent Travel Criticism
- New Hampshire Democratic Party has accused Senator Ayotte for traveling outside of DC and New Hampshire to attend various fundraisers which they believe are her setting herself up to be a VP candidate in 2016.
- No statement from Senator Ayotte's office at this time.
Press Releases/Newsletters
- Ayotte's Press Releases found at: http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=press_releases
- Issues on average 3-8 a week
- Senator Ayotte's press releases help inform her constituents on how she is voting, her position on various topics/issues, and what she is doing in DC for the state of New Hampshire.
- Newsletters go into nearly every newspaper across New Hampshire. Sending these out weekly give many constituents the satisfaction of knowing work is being done in DC.
Utilizing Office Resources
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| (source: http://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ding/id/2949/rec/1Franked Mail) |
- Numerous rules of when/when not the franking privilege can be employed.
- Rules are set by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
- Press Secretary for Senator Ayotte said this of the franking privilege, "Ayotte uses franked mail only to send direct constituent correspondence and official mail...Senator Ayotte strives to be efficient and cost-effective when using taxpayer resources"
- Claimed to have never used the franking privilege to send out mass mailings in 2012
- All rules on the franking privilege can be found at: http://www.ethics.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/franking
Legislation
Sponsored Legislation
- Found At: http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=sponsored_legislation
- Many of Senator Ayotte's sponsored pieces of legislation are concerning Armed Services, Commerce, and Budget matters since these are the committees she sits on.
- In 2014 Senator Ayotte sponsored 35 bills/resolutions in a Democrat controlled Senate
- Credit Claiming at its finest: Introduced bill (S.30) to freeze pay of all members of Congress if a budget deal was not reached. Bill was referred to committee and that is all the farther it went, but it still shows her position and belief that a balanced budget should be passed. By introducing this bill, she was able to gain plenty of free advertisement through the media and she generated a press release making her seem like the everyday New Hampshirian.
Co-Sponsored Legislation
- Can be found at: http://www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=co_sponsored_legislation
- Co-Sponsored 276 bills/resolutions in 2014 which was the 9th most by any Republican Senator
