General Don Bolduc’s campaign for U.S. Senate has released the names of its chairmen (and women) in all 10 New Hampshire counties, a reminder that, while he may not be popular in some Granite State GOP circles, he has a following in the party.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the support of so many Granite Staters. The grassroots enthusiasm for this campaign is incredible,” Bolduc said in a statement. “We’re tired of career politicians like Sen. Maggie Hassan and President Joe Biden, and their failed policies that are hurting the people of New Hampshire. It’s time to send an outsider to D.C.”
Bolduc faces two other announced candidates, state Senate President Chuck Morse (R-Salem) and former Londonderry Town Manager Kevin Smith, in the GOP primary.
NHGOP strategists and activists, many of whom are unwilling to go on the record during a primary within their party, say that while Bolduc’s candidacy faces some serious issues, it would be a mistake not to take it seriously.
“He has a chair in every county, real people — not just names,” one Republican source said. “Could Morse or Smith do that right now?”
Neither of Bolduc’s opponents has released their list of county chairs.
Not surprisingly given Bolduc’s strong support for former President Trump, the statements from his team echo Trump’s “America First” message.
“General Bolduc is the only candidate that can beat Maggie Hassan,” said state Rep. Tom Plosaj, Bolduc’s Belknap County chair. “He has a long career of getting things done. Don will work for the people and put New Hampshire First. I’m honored to be on his team.”
Another state representative, Bob Healy, and his wife Barb are co-chairs of Hillsborough County.
“Don Bolduc tells it like it is. If you want a candidate that has lived his entire adult life supporting and defending the Constitution, you have that in Don. It’s time to replace career politicians with lifetime servant leaders,” they said in a statement.
The rest of Bolduc’s county chair team:
- Robert Chase–Carroll
- Bill and Joanne Summers–Cheshire
- Peter Russo–Coos
- Josh Flanders–Grafton
- Ted Smith and Jeff Velazquez–Merrimack
- Peter Lessels–Rockingham
- Jennifer Tuthill–Strafford
- Michael Demars–Sullivan
Bolduc, who lost the 2020 U.S. Senate primary to businessman Corky Messner, has a name ID advantage that has helped him in early head-to-head polling against incumbent Democrat Hassan. It is a fact noted in a “Path to Victory” memo written by GOP strategist Rick Wiley, a senior advisor to the Bolduc campaign and released last month.
“The Bolduc campaign has not spent any money on television advertising, and already a UNH poll last fall showed him trailing Hassan, a sitting senator and former two-term governor, 47-42 percent. Hassan previously led in the same survey by a 10-point margin, meaning Bolduc has cut her lead in half,” Wiley wrote.
However, few politicos put stock in early polls taken before the Republican field has even begun to campaign.
And Bolduc’s name ID has yet to translate into financial support. His latest FEC filing reported he raised less than he spent in the last quarter of 2021 and had just $57,000 cash on hand.
