MEMO: Senator Maggie Hassan Enters the General Election in a Strong Position

KEY TAKEAWAY: While the Republican Senate candidates are enmeshed in a divisive primary with two deeply flawed frontrunners, Senator Maggie Hassan is running a campaign focused on the priorities of Granite Staters — putting her in a strong position to win re-election this fall, no matter who the Republicans nominate.

Senator Hassan Has Built a Strong Record of Delivering on the Priorities Most Important to Granite Staters

Senator Hassan has always been a leader who finds common ground and gets results for the people of New Hampshire. She has been named the “most bipartisan Senator in the country” by the independent Lugar Center — and she has the record to prove it. She successfully negotiated the bipartisan infrastructure law and helped develop the CHIPS and Science Act. She worked with a Republican Senator to ban surprise medical billing. She helped lead efforts to pass the bipartisan PACT Act to secure benefits for veterans exposed to toxic chemicals like burn pits. And she worked across the aisle to deliver a 900 percent increase in funding for New Hampshire to address the opioid crisis.

During a time when rising costs are top of mind for most voters, Senator Hassan has fought for a gas tax holiday and successfully pushed the Biden administration to release more oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Senator Hassan helped secure provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices — and her first event following its passage was with AARP to highlight how the law will help lower prescription drug costs for Granite Staters. Senator Hassan is leading the push to bring down costs — and has been unafraid to take on corporate special interests to get it done.

Maggie for NH Has Built a Strong Campaign — and the Republicans are Struggling to Catch Up

While the Republicans are mired in a nasty primary, Senator Hassan has put her record front and center. In the past few weeks, she has earned the endorsement of more than 140 small business leaders, joined New Hampshire veterans for the launch of Veterans for Maggie, and stood with reproductive rights advocates in favor of a woman’s fundamental freedom. The contrast in this race couldn’t be stronger. While her opponents are fighting between themselves and supporting fringe ideas, such as abolishing the FBI, she’s standing with New Hampshire veterans and small businesses — and against a nationwide abortion ban.

Maggie for NH has the resources to continue to talk to Granite Staters in every community about the Senator’s record. Our campaign has broken New Hampshire fundraising records for eight reports in a row, firmly establishing Senator Hassan as the strongest fundraiser in New Hampshire history. With these resources, Maggie for NH has built a strong field operation, with nine field offices across the state and more set to open soon.

Two Deeply Flawed Candidates Are Dominating the Republican Race 

Don Bolduc and Chuck Morse both hold positions that are out of step with Granite Staters. They both oppose abortion rights, support defunding Planned Parenthood, and would be a clear yes vote for a nationwide abortion ban. They both have spent the last few weeks standing with Big Pharma and railing against allowing Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices — a critical issue for Granite Staters. They both opposed bipartisan legislation like the infrastructure law and the CHIPS and Science Act.

With New Hampshire holding the latest primary in the country,  Bolduc and Morse will have little time to attempt a so-called pivot to the general election — and instead will be defined by their extreme records. 

The Case Against Don Bolduc 

Don Bolduc is out of touch with Granite Staters and too extreme for New Hampshire. New Hampshire is the most pro-choice swing state in the country, but Bolduc said that people should “rejoice” at the Supreme Court overturning Roe, has compared abortion to murder, and said he would “never compromise” in pushing for anti-choice legislation. He has also embraced other extreme positions including eliminating Social Security, decimating Medicare, abolishing the Department of Education, and defunding the Department of Homeland Security. He has called for repealing the 17th Amendment — taking away the right for people to directly elect their own senators — and is open to abolishing the FBI. For the entire campaign, Bolduc has made clear that he is most interested in pushing his own extreme agenda and ignoring the priorities of Granite Staters.

The Case Against Chuck Morse

Perhaps Republican candidate Kevin Smith said it best when he called Chuck Morse “Mitch McConnell’s guy.” If elected, Morse would be a reliable yes vote for McConnell’s anti-choice, corporate special interest agenda. Morse has operated as a kind of mini-Mitch in Concord — standing with corporate special interests and lobbyists at the expense of Granite Staters. Morse is the architect of the first abortion ban in modern New Hampshire history and has repeatedly voted against adding exceptions for rape, incest, or fatal fetal anomaly. Morse has also run a lackluster campaign, with widely panned debate performances and gaffe-filled interviews. He has not run in a competitive general election since 2006, when he lost an Executive Council race. The fact that Mitch McConnell has to bail him out with a Super PAC, spending over $4 million in ads two weeks before Election Day reflects Morse’s failure to “seal the deal” with NH voters.

Conclusion 

Senator Hassan has the record and message needed to win in New Hampshire — a fiercely independent state where voters want their leaders to solve problems and get results. Senator Hassan’s record of delivering for New Hampshire and her willingness to take on Big Pharma and Big Oil to lower costs is resonating with Granite Staters and stands in stark contrast with her opponents. With Don Bolduc and Chuck Morse embracing extreme agendas as they stagger across the finish line of a deeply divisive Republican primary, Senator Hassan is in a strong position entering the general election.