New Hampshire Republicans tell Trump's ex-campaign manager to stay out of their Senate race

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski told NBC News that he is "seriously considering" a run against Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and he will reportedly discuss the matter with the president in the coming days.

But Republicans in New Hampshire are not happy with the idea. According to The Daily Beast, Republicans in the state are urging him not to go through with it. One GOP official said "He is as much of a shadow of the president as you can find. That will hurt us down ballot," while another said "It would certainly give more ammunition to Jeanne Shaheen."

Though New Hampshire is traditionally a swing state, it is not expected to be terribly competitive in 2020, as Trump is massively unpopular there — the latest Morning Consult tracker shows him underwater there by 22 points. Consequently, the Senate race is unlikely to be competitive either — there were whispers that Gov. Chris Sununu would jump into the race, but he ruled it out.

New Hampshire Democrats don't want him either.

"Corey Lewandowski is a craven lobbyist who has been credibly accused of assault many times and is chomping at the bit to strip away Granite Staters' health care," said Josh Marcus-Blank, spokesman for the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

"Meanwhile, Senator Shaheen is making a difference for New Hampshire families, leading efforts in the Senate to expand access to health care and taking on the big drug companies to lower the costs of prescription drugs," he added. "The contrast couldn't be more clear."

Lewandowski, who ran the Trump campaign prior to Paul Manafort, gained national attention for manhandling a conservative reporter, for which he was charged with battery (those charges were later dropped). He has been a frequent defender of the president on national television.