Election-Conspiracy Supporter Bolduc Likely Winner In N.H. GOP Senate Primary—Opponent Morse Concedes
Topline
New Hampshire lawmaker Chuck Morse conceded the Republican party’s Senate primary race in New Hampshire to far-right candidate Donald Bolduc early on Wednesday, a contest that has ended up being significantly tighter than pollsters’ predictions but could complicate the GOP’s efforts to retake control of the Senate in November.
New Hampshire Republican U.S. Senate candidate Don Bolduc gestures at the conclusion of a debate.
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Key Facts
Morse’s concession, which was shared on Twitter, comes before the race has been officially called by The Associated Press or any other major outlet.
With 87% of the votes counted, newcomer Bolduc holds a one point lead over Morse, who serves as the majority leader in New Hampshire’s state senate.
The race has been a lot closer than polling predictions which showed Bolduc leading by more than 20 points.
Bolduc, an army veteran, has been a vocal Trump supporter who has repeated the former president’s falsehoods about a rigged 2020 election and has also boosted conspiracy theories about Covid-19 vaccines.
New Hampshire’s Republican Governor Chris Sununu had endorsed the moderate Morse after calling Bolduc a “conspiracy theorist-type” and “not a serious candidate.”
Sununu comfortably won his party’s gubernatorial primary by nearly 70 points on Tuesday night and he is currently a heavy favorite to win in November.
Crucial Quote
In a statement on Twitter Morse wrote: “It’s been a long night & we’ve come up short. I want to thank my supporters for all the blood, sweat & tears they poured into this team effort. I just called and wished all the best to Gen. Don Bolduc. The focus this fall needs to be on defeating Maggie Hassan.”
What To Watch For
If he is formally declared the winner, Bolduc will face incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) in November in a battleground state that President Joe Biden carried by more than seven points in the 2020 election. Hassan won the Senate seat in 2016 with a razor-thin margin of 1,017 votes and November’s race was expected to be competitive. The New Hampshire Senate seat is among the few seats in competitive states that Republicans need to win to help flip the chamber. However, Bolduc is viewed as a hard-right candidate who may push away moderate voters in a state where Independents outnumber Republicans and Democrats. While backing Morse, Sununu had argued he was the candidate Hassan was “most afraid to face.”
Key Background
In a strategy pulled straight from the party’s gubernatorial primaries playbook, some Democrats in New Hampshire helped boost Bolduc’s candidacy by sponsoring primary ads promoting him. The idea behind the risky and controversial strategy is that the hard-right Republican candidate will be easier to beat in November. The Republican leadership also appears to be alarmed about this issue, with Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) raising concerns about the GOP’s “candidate quality” for the November midterm Senate races.
Tangent
The primaries in New Hampshire were among the few high profile Republican races where former president Donald Trump did not endorse a candidate. While Bolduc’s views align strongly with the former president, a non-endorsement by Trump reportedly stems from him being disliked by Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and other close aides.
Further Reading
Morse Concedes to Bolduc in New Hampshire Senate Race, Realizing G.O.P. Fears (New York Times)
Close New Hampshire Senate primary tests direction of GOP (Associated Press)
