Former Sen. Scott Brown, now the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, argued that the recent cases of ebola in the United States are reason to secure the border.
It’s the latest argument Brown has made trying to make a connection to border control. Brown is hoping to defeat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) in the 2014 midterm elections.
“As far as the potential for an outbreak in the United States, we have the best health care facilities in the world and I know our health care professionals are extremely capable of handling these cases,” Brown said in a statement on Thursday. “But once again, this underscores the need to secure our borders. We have already seen people with Ebola arrive in the United States through normal channels and the type of havoc that can create. My concern is with our unprotected border where people with Ebola and other infectious diseases can enter the country without being challenged. Senator Shaheen has voted repeatedly against securing the border. I believe that puts us at risk as a nation.”
A week ago The Washington Post noted that when Brown was serving as a senator from Massachusetts he missed all six hearings on border security as a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. It’s a bit of a contrast from Brown the candidate in New Hampshire who has repeatedly attacked Shaheen on border security.
The TPM Polltracker average gives Shaheen a 5.8 point lead over Brown.
