Donald Trump has some advice for a candidate in a state he lost twice.
The former president said on Truth Social that Republican candidate Don Bolduc lost the New Hampshire U.S. Senate race to incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan because he stopped embracing lies about the 2020 presidential election.
MIDTERM RESULTS: HASSAN BEATS BACK SPIRITED BOLDUC CHALLENGE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE SENATE RACE
“Don Bolduc was a very nice guy, but he lost tonight when he disavowed, after his big primary win, his longstanding stance on Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Primary,” Trump posted. “Had he stayed strong and true, he would have won, easily. Lessons Learned!!!”
What a tone-deaf post. Part of the reason why Bolduc lost what could have been a winnable U.S. Senate seat is because of his past embrace of conspiracy theories.
Bolduc deserves some credit for distancing himself from some of the wacky comments he made as a Republican primary candidate. However, it’s unfortunate that he embraced those lies in the first place.
New Hampshire rejected Trump at the ballot box twice. And New Hampshire voters likely know better than anyone that Trump’s allegations of voter fraud are baseless.
While it’s well-known that Trump lies about the 2020 presidential election results, claiming he would have won if not for voter fraud, he has also lied about the 2016 presidential election results in New Hampshire.
Trump lost New Hampshire by about 0.4% in 2016. And he claims, without evidence, that busloads of Massachusetts residents voted against him in New Hampshire, giving Hillary Clinton the win in that state. He also lost New Hampshire by a worse margin in 2020 (7%).
New Hampshire voters swing for Republicans, but not Trump Republicans. New Hampshire has a Republican trifecta in state government, and Gov. Chris Sununu won his reelection bid on Tuesday by double digits. It’s not that Republicans cannot win New Hampshire. Rather, people there dislike Trump and his personality.
The problem with Bolduc, whom Trump endorsed, was more branding than anything to do with policy. Voters in New Hampshire dislike Trump, so running on an unpopular conspiracy theory that Trump made up was a terrible idea.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
With 87% of the vote counted, Bolduc trails Hassan 44% to 54%. Had Bolduc taken Trump’s Truth Social advice, he would have lost by even more.
If Trump had ever won New Hampshire in a general election, maybe his advice would have some value in the state. Since he didn’t, Granite State politicians should discard it next time Trump endorses a primary candidate — or tries to make excuses for his failed picks.
Tom Joyce (@TomJoyceSports) is a political reporter for the New Boston Post in Massachusetts.
