IT’S A NEW DYNAMIC IN THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR. TWICE LAST WEEK, WE SAW DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES. JOYCE CRAIG AND CINDY WARMINGTON TEAMING UP AT ISSUE BASED EVENTS ONE ON ABORTION AND ONE ON GUN CONTROL, TAKING ON THE LIKELY REPUBLICAN FRONTRUNNER THEY COULD FACE IN NOVEMBER. KELLY AYOTTE ON THE ABORTION ISSUE. BOTH DEMOCRATS ARE HAMMERING AWAY AT THE FORMER US SENATOR WHO IS PRO-LIFE AND VOTED THAT WAY CONSISTENTLY DURING HER SIX YEARS IN WASHINGTON. EVEN THOUGH AYOTTE HAS NOW STAKED OUT A POLICY POSITION THAT MIRRORS OUTGOING GOVERNOR CHRIS SUNUNU, CRAIG AND WARMINGTON ARGUE THAT SHE CAN’T BE TRUSTED AND WOULD BREAK THE PROMISES SHE’S MAKING TO VOTERS NOW. THAT PROMPTED A RESPONSE FROM AYOTTE HERSELF, WHO UNTIL RECENTLY HAD BEEN MAINTAINING A LOWER PROFILE IN THIS RACE. WE KNOW THAT KELLY AYOTTE AND DONALD TRUMP WILL BE A THREAT TO WOMEN’S HEALTH AND OUR ABILITY TO ACCESS ABORTION BECAUSE OF THEIR EXTREME TRACK RECORD. KELLY AYOTTE IS THE MOST EXTREME THREAT TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE THAT NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS EVER FACED. WE CANNOT TRUST HER TO STOP THE EXTREME LEGISLATION, LIKE A 15 DAY ABORTION BAN THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN PROPOSED IN OUR STATE. IT’S DISTURBING TO ME THAT THEY’RE WILLING TO LIE TO THE WOMEN OF NEW HAMPSHIRE ABOUT MY POSITION ON ABORTION WHEN I FULLY SUPPORT IT, AND WILL PROTECT WOMEN’S RIGHT TO FREEDOM TO OBTAIN AN ABORTION IN UP TO SIX MONTHS OF PREGNANCY, WHICH IS OUR LAW IN THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE. AND OUR LAW ALSO SAYS IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, IF, GOD FORBID, A WOMAN SUFFERS FROM A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, SHE OR THEIR BABY HAS A FATAL FETAL ANOMALY, THEY CAN STILL RECEIVE AN ABORTION. AND I WILL PROTECT AND DEFEND THAT LAW. AND I’M NOT GOING TO CHANGE IT. YOU WERE STRONGLY AND PROUDLY PRO-LIFE IN THE US SENATE. WHY WOULD THOSE PRINCIPLES CHANGE OR EVOLVE IN THE CORNER OFFICE? WELL, WE ALL HAVE STRONG PERSONAL FEELINGS ABOUT ABORTION, BUT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, WE’VE REACHED A CONSENSUS HERE, AND ONE OF MY JOBS AS GOVERNOR IS REALLY TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER AROUND DIFFICULT ISSUES. AND I BELIEVE NEW HAMPSHIRE HAS COME TOGETHER AROUND OUR CURRENT LAW. SO THIS IS LIKELY GOING TO BE ONE OF THE BIG POINTS OF CONTENTION IN THIS RACE FOR GOVERNOR, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE SEPTEMBER PRIMARY. AND IT WILL BE WORTH WATCHING HOW LONG THIS LOOSE ALLIANCE BETWEEN CRAIG AND WARMINGTON LAST. EVENTUALLY, ONE OF THEM WILL WANT TO CLAIM FULL OWNERSHIP OF THE ABORTION ISSUE IN THE DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY, AND THAT WRAPS UP THIS EDITION OF CLOSE UP NEW HAMPSHIRE. THANKS FOR WATCHING. MAKE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE POLITICS PAGE ON OUR WEBSITE AND MOBILE APP FOR MORE IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS, AND TO SIGN UP FOR OUR WE