DeSantis Endorses Republican in Tight New Hampshire Senate Race

Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc speaks at “The American Strength Tour” in Kingston, New Hampshire, on Nov 3, 2022. NTD

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Nov. 3 announced his endorsement of Don Bolduc, New Hampshire’s Republican candidate for Senate, who is currently locked in a tight race against Democrat incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan.

“The U.S. Senate doesn’t need any more Biden ‘Yes Men,’” DeSantis said in one of a series of tweets supporting various Republican candidates.

“@GenDonBolduc will be a Senator New Hampshire can count on to fight reckless spending and work to get costs under control,” the governor continued. “He will do what’s best for the people of his state.”

Urging his followers to support the retired U.S. Army general’s campaign, DeSantis also included a link for donations.

Bolduc, according to his campaign website, became the youngest police officer in the history of New Hampshire at age 18. He later joined the U.S. Army, where he served 33 years, including during the war in Afghanistan, and earned two awards for valor, five Bronze Star medals, and two Purple Hearts.

In addition to the support of Florida’s governor, Bolduc also recently received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who issued a statement of support via his social media platform, Truth Social.

“General Don Bolduc has run a great campaign to be the U.S. Senator from the beautiful State of New Hampshire,” Trump wrote in an Oct. 31 post.

As of Nov. 4, the Real Clear Politics average showed the New Hampshire Senate race to be a statistical tie, with Hassan holding a razor-thin lead of 0.8 percent.

However, having closed what was a nearly 10-point gap just one month prior, Bolduc—who now has 47 percent support compared to Hassan’s 47.8 percent—would appear to have the momentum heading into the Nov. 8 election.

The contentious race has been heating up even more as of late, as prior to the candidates’ Nov. 2 debate, a man was arrested and charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct after approaching Bolduc and causing a “disturbance.” The man was identified as Joseph Hart, 37, of Greenville, Rhode Island.

At first, there appeared to be some confusion over what had occurred, with Bolduc exclaiming that he had been struck. Video footage later revealed that Bolduc was greeting his supporters when Hart approached the candidate while holding a camera. Bolduc was accidentally hit by supporters who rushed to his aid. In the clip, it appears Hart didn’t touch Bolduc.

“I wouldn’t call it an assault, no,” Bolduc told local media after the incident. “If the police didn’t do their job, it probably would have been an assault, but you can’t speculate.”

Meanwhile, Hart, a libertarian and anti-war activist, said he has filed a complaint against Bolduc, alleging that the candidate elbowed him.

During the debate, Bolduc described Hassan as a “career politician” and slammed her for supporting President Joe Biden’s “failed policies.”

Hassan, on the other hand, accused Bolduc of receiving donations from Republicans using “dark money” to influence elections and Supreme Court decisions.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has become more and more political as a result of significant dark money over the past three decades with a concerted effort to put in conservatives with a particular point of view,” she contended.

Hassan also pointed to Bolduc’s initial position on the 2020 election as evidence that he was an “election denier,” wondering whether he would accept the results of the Nov. 8 election if the results were not in his favor. Bolduc has attracted scrutiny over his stance on the issue, as he previously maintained that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, but declared after winning the primary that Biden is the legitimate president.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the Hassan campaign for comment.