Republican New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte says she 'misspoke' when she referred to Donald Trump as a role model for children.
Ayotte, who is locked in a tight re-election race against Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, was pressed during a debate Monday about whether she would tell a child to aspire to be like the GOP presidential nominee.
""Well, I think certainly there are many role models that we have. And I believe he can serve as president, and so absolutely, I would do that," she said.
Ayotte, who has refused to officially endorse Trump but still says she'll support him, issued a statement clarifying the remark late Monday night.
"I misspoke tonight," she said. "While I would hope all of our children would aspire to be president, neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton have set a good example and I wouldn't hold up either of them as role models for my kids."
