Bolduc touts status as outsider in challenging Hassan's career in politics

New Hampshire voters will play a key role in deciding the balance of power in the U.S. Senate on Election Day. Granite Staters will choose between incumbent Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan and her Republican challenger Gen. Don Bolduc in his first political bid.

Bolduc's populism and political outsider status is running right up against Hassan's long and experienced political career as both governor and U.S. senator.

Hassan, during a Zoom interview, shared her thoughts on her opponent, the race, and why New Hampshire voters should stick with her. Bolduc responded via email to written questions.

At the forefront for both candidates was the economy and energy costs.

“We passed a law at the end of the summer that included a bipartisan provision that gives people a tax cut if they make energy efficiency upgrades in their home,” Hassan said. “But more immediately, there are other things we need to do.”

Bolduc criticized Hassan, as he has in debates, for voting “100%” of the time with the Biden administration, whom he blames extensively for inflation and energy prices.

“In order to lower inflation, we need to reverse the disastrous energy policies that Joe Biden has implemented, and that Sen. Hassan has supported 100%,” Bolduc wrote in response to his solution to current economic woes. “We also need to reverse the Inflation Reduction Act and reduce the taxes that increased across the board that includes the middle class.”

When asked for ideas to combat inflation, Bolduc reiterated the need to simply reverse the current administration's agenda.

According to Forbes, the act increased taxes for corporations, and will likely not directly affect the taxes of regular Americans. Instead, corporations could cut more jobs or reduce pay to compensate.

Hassan is standing by her support of the Inflation Reduction Act on the campaign trail, and emphasizing her pushback against the administration on some energy policies.

“I recently worked across the aisle to secure a significant increase in home heating assistance in New Hampshire,” Hassan said. “I continue to push to suspend the federal gas tax, and I led a bipartisan push for the Biden administration to release oil from the home heating reserve, which could lower home heating costs.”

In addition to blaming the Biden administration for inflation, Bolduc targeted Hassan and other Democrats for the reduction of domestic oil exploration and production in an effort to bolster alternative energy sources.

“We need to reverse our energy policies and start investing in American energy independence, and we need to reduce the taxes that the Inflation Reduction Act has burdened American citizens [with],” Bolduc wrote.

While the economy is the top priority on most voters' minds, Democrats have used the overturning of Roe v. Wade to rally support around reproductive health care access throughout the country. Since the Supreme Court decision, 13 states have enacted a complete ban on abortion, according to The New York Times. Hassan has challenged Bolduc on the campaign trail and on the debate stage, claiming he would support a national abortion ban, a point the general has repeatedly denied. Bolduc has publicly stated that he supports the state's current law that allows abortions up to 24 weeks.

“I believe this issue is best left for the states to decide to give women the strongest voice on the issue,” Bolduc wrote. “I will never support a federal ban on abortion and my opponent has repeatedly lied about my position.”

Hassan doesn't buy it.

“When I talk about Don Bolduc possibly being the most extreme candidate for U.S. Senate nominated for a general election in modern New Hampshire history, it's because of the agenda he is proposing and his record,” Hassan said. “His record makes clear he would be a yes vote for a national abortion ban. He's said he wants to end Social Security and he would make drastic cuts to Medicare as we know it.”

During an interview with AARP, Bolduc described Medicare as an unsolvable “Gordian knot” that must be “cut in half” and “reformed” due to its over complexity.

Initially, Bolduc was not the Republican Party's pick. That was New Hampshire State Sen. Chuck Morse. Morse had more funding, experience and backing, but Bolduc managed to beat him out by a few points. Since his primary victory, Bolduc has received support from Gov. Chris Sununu, former President Donald Trump and Tulsi Gabbard, an ex-Democrat and former presidential candidate who served in Congress from 2013 to 2021 representing Hawaii.

Establishment Democrats were arguably quite helpful in Bolduc's primary race. Senate majority leader Sen. Chuck Schumer's political action committee spent over $3 million on attack ads against Morse in an effort to ensure Bolduc's victory. Democrats have spent millions in an effort to secure victory for less experienced politicians like Bolduc against more moderate and experienced Republicans. The idea is that undecided or independent voters will gravitate away from more extreme candidates in the general election.

“I can't control what outside groups do and the strategy you describe is not one I would support,” Hassan said of the tactic. “But let me be very clear: I have a long record of supporting campaign finance reform because of the influence of outside dark-money groups. They don't disclose who is contributing money to them and they drown out the voices of ordinary people.”

Hassan continued that the Republican establishment is stonewalling campaign finance reform.

“That's something Bolduc opposes. He says Citizens United is OK," Hassan said.

Bolduc sidestepped the issue entirely in his written response.

“For the last two years I have campaigned the New Hampshire way,” Bolduc wrote. “I have defied the naysayers from the beginning and that’s the same approach I’m going to take through the finish line to victory.”

While Bolduc led a multi-year grassroots campaign, it was not free from controversy. During the primary, Bolduc repeatedly parroted claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. After securing his victory, Bolduc appeared on television and pivoted on the decision, declaring Joe Biden the legitimate president of the United States, and claiming to have seen more information that changed his mind. When pressed on this issue, Bolduc did not cite any specific information that lead to the pivot.

“Of course Joe Biden is our president, we see it every day as inflation soars, gas prices hit new highs, and energy costs skyrocket,” Bolduc wrote. “I have no interest in looking backwards as Sen. Hassan continues to do, I am focused on this election to reverse these disastrous policies crushing Granite Staters.”

“It was a reversal that fooled no one,” Hassan said. “Don Bolduc repeatedly asserted that the 2020 election was stolen as recently as August on the debate stage. He said that he stood by his letter with over 100 generals that said the election was stolen and that he wasn't 'switching horses.' Those were his words,” Hassan continued. “He's an election denier and he is now trying to hide this very extreme view from the people of New Hampshire. It's pretty insulting to the people of New Hampshire because they are some of the most informed voters in this country.”

When asked about the state of American democracy and the people's faith in the election system, Bolduc blamed Democrats, not Trump, for undermining faith in the local election system.

“It is unfortunate Americans no longer believe in our democracy,” Bolduc said. “I saw this start to happen in 2016 as Democrats like Sen. Hassan refused to acknowledge President Trump as the rightful president. Once elected, I hope to bring back a sense of trust in our democracy once again.”

“I am concerned about a difficult and extreme faction that seems eager to undermine our free and fair elections in this country,” Hassan said of Republican claims the 2020 election was stolen. “I think it is important we continue New Hampshire's great practice of free and fair elections without interference.”