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GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte's Campaign Hands Out Condoms On College Campuses

CONCORD, N.H. (CBS/AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte's campaign is highlighting a birth control bill she sponsored by handing out free condoms on New Hampshire college campuses.

The campaign recently distributed signs to students promoting her campaign that say "FREE CONDOMS" in bold letters. The signs are being set up next to tables where potential voters can pick up information about the candidate. They explain that the condoms are part of Ayotte's efforts to make birth control available over-the-counter. They also urge takers to "Use Condom Sense!"

Ayotte is a first-term senator running for re-election against Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.

Last year, Ayotte sponsored a bill that would provide incentives for birth control manufacturers to file with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to move their products over-the-counter.

But Hassan's campaign is already blasting the condom giveaway as "desperate."

"Kelly Ayotte has voted to defund Planned Parenthood six times, and has introduced sham legislation that the American Congress of OB-GYNs has said would make birth control more expensive and less accessible," a Hassan spokeswoman said.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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