Jeanne Shaheen in Politico.com

On Principles & Values: On 99% vote with Obama: Find ways to appeal to independents

In those races and many others, Shaheen had to find ways to appeal to the state's huge swath of independents. N.H. has open primaries, meaning voters can choose whether they want a Democratic or Republican ballot; playing strictly to the base isn't really an option.

So it's no surprise she's not publicly embracing Obama. Shaheen's problem is that she's backed her party on every major issue. Republicans cite a statistic that Shaheen voted with Obama 99% of the time last year. During a 2008 debate, Shaheen struggled to identify a national issue where she opposed her party's leadership. Posed the same question during the interview last week, she cited her opposition to the TARP bailout and an Internet sales tax.