By Karen Cross, Political Director
We finally have our general election matchup in the race for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire! Retired Brigadier General Don Bolduc will face off against pro-abortion incumbent Senator Maggie Hassan. Many political observers believe this race could be the one that determines which party controls the Senate come January.
In 2016, when Hassan defeated pro-life champion Senator Kelly Ayotte to take the seat, she did so by a razor-thin margin of about one thousand votes (or 0.1%). Despite six years as a senator, polls show Hassan has not left much of an impression on New Hampshire voters. Her tepid approval ratings combined with President Biden’s underwater numbers in the state make her seat a prime target for Republicans looking to flip the Senate. The Boston Globe labeled Senator Hassan the “most vulnerable Senate Democrat” heading into the 2022 cycle.
While New Hampshire has a long tradition of electing independent-minded officials, Senator Hassan has not demonstrated the slightest sense of moderation, at least on the issue of abortion. She entered office buoyed by massive campaign spending by abortion advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest chain of abortion clinics, and mega-fundraiser EMILY’s List. On National Right to Life’s legislative scorecard, Senator Hassan holds a 0%.
Senator Hassan supports a policy of abortion on demand, which would allow abortion for essentially any reason until birth, and she supports the use of American tax dollars to pay for it. She voted against commonsense legislation to protect unborn babies late in pregnancy when science unequivocally shows they are capable of experiencing great pain. She also voted to allow the withholding of medical care from born-alive infants who survive failed abortion attempts.
Senator Hassan co-sponsored and voted for the so-called Women’s Health Protection Act, which should really be called the “Abortion Without Limits Until Birth Act” because it would enshrine abortion on demand in federal law and policies and tear down existing pro-life protections on the state level, including parental involvement laws, Women’s Right to Know laws, and limits on taxpayer funding of abortion.
Senator Hassan’s abortion-without-limits position is extreme and out of touch with voters. According to a recent Harvard poll, 72 percent of Americans—including 75 percent of women—oppose abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. A Marist poll from January 2022 similarly reported that 71 percent of Americans oppose abortion after the first three months of pregnancy[www.nationalrighttolifenews.org/2022/09/in-dramatic-contrast-to-house-passed-abortion-on-demand-until-birth-act-bill-to-protect-pain-capable-unborn-children-from-late-term-abortions-introduced].
In contrast, Don Bolduc is pro-life and supports protections for unborn children and their mothers from the violence of abortion. He opposes Congress taking Americans’ hard-earned dollars and using them to pay for abortions. He also opposes the radical “Abortion Without Limits Until Birth” bill.
Prior to the conclusion of primary season, the Cook Political Report placed the New Hampshire Senate race in their “Leans Democrat” column. Senator Hassan does enjoy some of the benefits that come with incumbency, but as Republican voters consolidate around their newly chosen nominee and independent voters have the opportunity to see the stark contrast between the candidates, the race could very easily move into the “Tossup” column.
After all, just about a thousand votes determined the winner last time around.