One day before Jeanne Shaheen and Scott Brown face off in their first televised debate for Shaheen's U.S. Senate seat in New Hampshire, the Ebola crisis has become a hot topic in the race.
"I remember the President saying, 'Listen, we've got to stop it right in its tracks. We're going to take care of it, no problem,'" said Brown. "Well, we've had one person die, two people be infected, and there's been a lot of misinformation by the CDC and others."
Brown joined some Republican lawmakers and a few Democrats last week who have called for a travel ban on people from the West African countries most affected by the disease.
"I think it's a no brainer," said Brown. "We need to stop it in its tracks right now. Not six weeks from now, right in its infancy. I think it's something I've asked Jeanne Shaheen to reconsider her position and join Sen Hagan and others."
"I don't think at this stage that a travel ban makes sense," Shaheen told NECN last week. "We need to train people and we need to make sure that the resources are there to do that."
But Monday, asked to confirm her opposition to the ban, the campaign issued a statement reading, "Senator Shaheen has contacted New Hampshire officials about local preparedness. She strongly supports any and all effective measures to keep Americans safe including travel bans if they would work."
Brown responded, "I'm glad that Jeanne Shaheen has changed her mind and now agrees with me on the issue of the travel ban. It was wrong for her to oppose it in the first place."
Politics
The Shaheen campaign shot back that by Brown's standards, he also flip-flopped because on Oct. 10, Brown's spokesperson said he was open to a travel ban but not calling for one.
Campaigning at a Dover diner, Shaheen was focused on other aspects of the race, including Brown's record she said on energy.
"He was there to provide subsidies to the oil companies," she said. "To give a $19 billion bail out to banks. To reward companies that stripped jobs overseas. I think that's the wrong direction, not just for New Hampshire, but for the country.
