Sununu also referred to Bolduc as part of a passel of “conspiracy-theory extremists” running for Republican Senate nominations around the country.
For Republicans, the declining competitiveness of New Hampshire mirrors the broader struggles they’ve had in Senate races this cycle. The seat was widely seen at the start of 2022 cycle as one of Republicans’ top pickup opportunities — as Hassan’s poll numbers were middling and Sununu was viewed as a likely candidate. Then last November, Sununu surprisingly decided not to enter the race, announcing that he would instead seek another term as governor.
Sununu’s decision caught McConnell and the rest of the Senate Republican establishment flat-footed — and created a vacuum that Bolduc filled.
Even before Bolduc’s victory on Tuesday, the race was showing signs of slipping away from Republicans. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, a nonpartisan handicapping tip sheet, rated it as a “lean Democratic.” Given the extremity of Bolduc’s past positions as well as his decidedly weak fundraising — he had $84,000 in the bank as of August 24 compared to Hassan’s $7.3 million — it’s possible that the race is even less competitive than that at this point.