(NewsNation) — NewsNation/ Decision Desk HQ has called the race for the U.S. Senate seat representing New Hampshire in favor of Maggie Hassan.
Incumbent Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan was locked in a race for reelection against Republican challenger, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Don Bolduc. The New Hampshire senate seat was initially seen as one of the GOP’s best pickup opportunities going into the midterms but fell out of the national spotlight after the primaries.
Voting and election denial has dominated the broader Senate race. Before the primaries, Bolduc — a Republican standard-bearer who served in Afghanistan and received two Purple Hearts and five Bronze Stars — embraced former President Donald Trump’s false and baseless claims that there was widespread election fraud during the 2020 elections that resulted in his loss.
However, Bolduc told Fox News after the primaries he had “come to the conclusion” that the race “was not stolen.” During a debate, he said he stood by “Granite Staters” who “can’t trust mail-in ballots,” who believe in “proven irregularities” with voting machines and those who believe the state’s same-day voter registration rule “causes fraud.” Hassan took the offensive during a debate while discussing Bolduc’s views, saying he “has been working to conceal how extreme he is.”
The candidates clashed on a variety of issues during two debates, including abortion, inflation and crime. On the issue of abortion, Hassan attacked Bolduc saying he “has a very long record of extremism here.” Bolduc said he would not support federal action on the issue of abortion, whether it was to ban abortions or protect access. “It is now a state issue,” he said.
Bolduc said Hassan’s pandemic-era spending and Democratic policies in Washington had caused the sky-rocketing inflation that voters indicated was a key issue for them during the election. He said he would support more oil drilling to reduce gas prices and would have backed a measure to curb government spending until inflation was under control. Hassan, on the other hand, made it a point to put some distance between her and President Joe Biden saying the “administration was too slow to recognize the long term reality of inflation.”
Hassan held a massive advantage over Bolduc when it came to campaign finances, records show, with the sitting senator raising more than $38.3 million and spending more than $36.1 million by Oct. 19, compared to her challenger’s $2.2 million raised and $1.9 million spent.
Meanwhile, polling data showed Hassan’s lead over Bolduc began widening in September, though the challenger closed the gap with the incumbent in the last days before the election.
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate. Of the 100 Senate seats, 35 will see elections during the midterms, including one special election. Democrats have an effective majority in the chamber, with a 50-50 split and Vice President Kamala Harris acting as the tie-breaking vote. Democrats hold 14 seats and Republicans hold 21 seats up for election in the 2022 midterms.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
