MANCHESTER, New Hampshire — Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) is hammering home a message of bipartisanship as the New Hampshire Senate race draws to a close.
The incumbent Democrat, who is fending off a fierce challenge from Republican challenger Don Bolduc, is stressing her willingness to work across the aisle and painting Bolduc as a “MAGA” extremist.
Flipping Hassan’s seat would be a major pickup for the GOP, as the party only needs to net one seat to take control of the Senate next year.
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Hassan mentioned bipartisanship more than a dozen times during her final debate with Bolduc Wednesday night and this week cut an advertisement called “Whatever It Takes,” in which the Democrat stressed that “getting things done” means “standing up to” President Joe Biden and working with Republicans to lower costs for New Hampshire voters.
In nearly every debate answer Wednesday night, Hassan made sure to point out that she’s worked across the aisle — she led a “bipartisan push” on home heating assistance, “worked in a bipartisan way” on counterterrorism, and said she was “proud of having been named the most bipartisan senator,” referring to the Lugar Center ranking her No. 1 for the most bipartisan bill sponsorships and co-sponsorships.
In a press gaggle after the debate, Hassan emphasized her centrism to reporters and drew a contrast with Bolduc’s candidacy.
“Look, I thought tonight’s debate made very clear to the people of New Hampshire the choice they have on Tuesday. I talked about my record of delivering results, reaching across the aisle on things that really matter to Granite Staters. And what we heard from my opponent was his attempts to conceal an extraordinarily extreme record and lashing out at people when he got called on,” she said.
It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to win reelection as Democrats nationally face political headwinds, particularly on the economy.
New Hampshire is a swing state, in which races are often decided by narrow margins: When Hassan won her first Senate term in 2016, she did so by just over 1,000 votes, and a recent poll from St. Anslem College put Bolduc ahead by 1 point.
“We always knew it would be a very close race,” she told the Washington Examiner after the debate. “New Hampshire is probably independent, as it should be, and they expect people to make their case every election, and that’s what I’ve continued to do.”
Bolduc, a former Army brigadier general, pitches himself as a political outsider and makes the case that Hassan is part of a failed political establishment. He accused her of sidestepping questions during the debate on everything from abortion to the border.
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“Well, first of all, I’m not a politician. Secondly, Sen. Hassan once again hasn’t even answered the question. That was the finest Washington, D.C., career politician nonanswer I’ve ever heard,” he said at one point.
With five days to go before the election, Hassan still has the advantage of incumbency and a massive war chest. However, Bolduc has been boosted by an influx of outside GOP spending and has been climbing in the polls.
