Trump casts long shadow in NH Senate race

Even here, among the fried dough stands and pig pens of New Hampshire's summer fairs, the Republican senator faces difficult questions about her party's presidential nominee, a celebrity businessman who threatens to weigh down swing state Republicans at every level this fall.

The New York billionaire's standing is at a low mark of his campaign in preference polls, and national party leaders are openly considering whether to turn their backs on him.

The New Hampshire senator, a former state attorney general, spoke with dozens of voters as she toured three New Hampshire fairs over the weekend, making small talk with most, while wading into the state's opioid crisis a handful of times.

On Saturday, she also broke with Trump's repeated suggestion that a loss in November would be evidence that the nation's election system is rigged.

The senator, a prominent voice on national security issues, would not say whether she trusted Trump with the codes to the nation's nuclear arsenal.

The New Hampshire GOP has identified a group of fewer than 10,000 loyal Republican voters who are considering sitting out the November contest because they oppose Trump's candidacy.

Outreach may include mail, phone calls and conversations with volunteers at their homes, according to a Republican official with direct knowledge of internal strategy.

Republican officials note their candidates have survived unpopular presidential nominees in the past, but suggest there is a point at which their 2016 Senate candidates cannot win no matter how well they perform.