This piece has been updated to include a statement from the RNC.
Late on Tuesday night, Decision Desk HQ called the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire in favor of Retired General Don Bolduc.
Decision Desk HQ projects Donald Bolduc (@GenDonBolduc) is the winner of the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire. He'll face Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) in November.#DecisionMade: 11:49pm EDT
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) September 14, 2022
DDHQ Forecast: Lean D
Follow more results here: https://t.co/F8fxOHdb9T
The race was called at 11:49pm that night, several hours after the last polls had closed in the state. With an estimated 90 percent of the vote, Bolduc has 37.21 percent of the vote. New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse came in second place with 35.84 percent.
As was previously reported, Bolduc was the candidate whom Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) PAC had boosted. The thinking is he would be easier to beat than Morse, whom Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) PAC had meanwhile supported.
A Wednesday morning statement from RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in part read that "Extreme Democrats like Maggie Hassan and [Representative] Chris Pappas have failed Granite Staters time and again by voting in lockstep with Biden’s failed agenda of high taxes, open borders, and historic inflation. Our data-driven ground game is ready to turn out the vote, and New Hampshire is ready to re-elect Governor Sununu and finally send commonsense Republican leadership to Washington."
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In the early hours of Wednesday, Morse tweeted out that he had called Bolduc and expressed his support for him, as well as emphasized the focus needs to be on defeating Sen. Hassan.
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 @GenDonBolduc. The focus this fall needs to be on defeating Maggie Hassan.
— Senator Chuck Morse (@Morse4Senate) September 14, 2022
The race is still considered "Lean Democratic" or "Tilt Democratic," so while Bolduc may be considered easier to beat, it's not a forgone conclusion that Sen. Hassan will win re-election. She was first elected in 2016, when she beat out then Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) by the narrowest of margins, with 48 percent of the vote to Ayotte's 47.9 percent.
This is the case in other races where Democrats also meddled, such as in the Republican primary for Michigan's 3rd Congressional District, where Sen. Patrick Maloney (D-NY), who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), has defended boosting John Gibbs, despite calling him out as "dangerous" and "election denier." Last month, Gibbs beat out Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI), who had voted to imnpeach former President Donald Trump.
While Maloney has sworn up and down that Gibbs is so much easier to beat, the race is still only considered "Lean Democratic" or "Tilt Democratic."
Schumer's PAC also meddled in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in Colorado, as did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) PAC, though their candidates of choice lost.
When it comes to Hassan's vulnerability, a RollCall list from May considered her the fifth most vulnerable incumbent in the Senate, a CNN list from July included her in the 10 Senate seats most likely to flip, a POLITICO list from May also considered the seat as a "Republican target," and The Hill in June included her seat among the seven most likely to flip. USA Today also included her in their interactive list of top races to watch.
And it will be a race to watch indeed, especially if Schumer and his fellow Democrats end up eating crow for boosting Bolduc if and when he makes Hassan a one-term senator.
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