Defeated U.S. Senate hopeful Don Bolduc, who became one of the most closely watched candidates in the nation during the November midterms, is vying for a top position with the New Hampshire Republican Party.
In an exclusive interview with The Epoch Times, the retired Army brigadier general spoke about what he sees as a fractured Republican party that needs mending from the local level, his pick for the next President, what he believes should be done to save the Granite State’s status as first in the national primary, and the reasons why he would not have supported Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader.
Bolduc is not seeking the top position of the New Hampshire Republican Party, but instead the vice chair post. That’s because, he said, it’s the vice chair’s job to “press the flesh”—something he has a ton of experience with as he points out having held 85 town halls while trying to oust Maggie Hassan from her Senate seat in Washington.
“The chairman’s main purpose is fundraising. The vice chairman’s job is to get out there and coordinate the vision and the mission; recruit candidates, build continuity among Republican committees at the county, city, and town level, and bring that synergy to bear. And getting people successfully elected to local, state and federal positions.”
Bolduc said it was disturbing how little support candidates in New Hampshire got from high-level Republicans. As examples, he cited himself, as well as congressional candidates Karoline Leavitt and Robert Burns, whom he saw as promising newcomers, saying they were all practically left to fend for themselves against establishment Democratic incumbents.
He expressed disdain for New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. The four-term Republican governor who, according to Bolduc, spent more time campaigning for a progressive gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts than he did for any of the candidates in New Hampshire.
He pulled no punches in calling out “absolutely stupid decisions” made by leaders like Mitch McConnell, whose PAC pulled funding for Bolduc soon after he said that, if elected, he would not vote to return McConnell to his position as Senate Majority Leader.Near the top of Bolduc’s list was McConnell’s saying that a national abortion ban was “possible” if the Republicans took control of Congress.
“That really hurt us across the board,” he said. “It was just stupid.”
Bolduc, a decorated war veteran who served his country for more than 30 years, also said McConnell lost his support when he did nothing to back military service members being discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine. McConnell’s silence over President Joe Biden’s failing border policies was a factor as was his support for Biden’s big spending bills like his $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
Ultimately, he said, the biggest of McConnell’s “party sins” was his abandonment of what Bolduc believes are the three primary pillars of the Republican party—”economic prosperity, fiscal responsibility, and safety and security.”
Looking ahead to the 2024 presidential race, Bolduc says another major change is needed to unify the Republican party.
While he remains a stalwart MAGA follower, Bolduc said his top presidential pick is no longer Donald Trump.
Trump—in terms of policies—was one of the best Presidents America has had, Bolduc said, but there are better candidates this time around. He named former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and recent Democrat defector Tulsi Gabbard as his two favorites.
Neither woman has declared as a candidate, but Bolduc says both would bring what he sees as a sorely needed political amalgamation to a Republican presidential ticket—”a JFK/Reaganesque candidacy.”
“Like JFK and Ronald Reagan, there are no gray areas with them,” he said, “they just have a proven track record of bringing people together instead of dividing them.”
Most importantly, he says the party needs Republican leaders who understand the value of trickle-up politics and how to translate that into supporting party success at the local level.
That’s why high-level Republicans should have already built a wall around New Hampshire’s First-In-The-Nation (FITN) primary status, Bolduc emphasized.
Bolduc says New Hampshire, with its distinct four seasons, the state’s historic role in the American Revolution, diverse geographic makeup of rich coasts and rural towns, and relatively small population—offers candidates a unique, real-world picture of America.
“The whole reason FITN is in New Hampshire is to ensure [that] small states with small populations still have a voice in choosing a president and that larger populations don’t take over that process,” said Bolduc alluding to South Carolina, where Biden and the DNC have proposed re-assigning the FITN status.
He believes New Hampshire bipartisan leadership could save the state’s FITN status by taking a legal stand and argue that it is protected under prescriptive law, and treat any DNC vote that tries to upend that as null and void.
One tradition Bolduc thinks New Hampshire should change is its September primaries. He proposes instead to hold them in June, allowing more time for candidates to reach out to voters.
It is something he will propose if he is elected to co-lead the Granite State’s GOP.
But, like in the U.S. Senate race, Bolduc has to first get past the competition.
Christine Peters, the director of the New Hampshire Federation of Republican Women, recently announced her candidacy for the vice chair seat.
Ryan Terrell, a Nashua businessman who was nominated in 2020 by Sununu to the New Hampshire Board of Education, has already won a Sununu endorsement for the post.
On Dec. 9, Sununu posted on Twitter: “Count me in as an enthusiastic supporter of Ryan Terrell for @NHGOP Vice Chair. Ryan is the right person to promote our Republican message, broaden our party, and deliver wins. I urge the members of the @NHGOP State Committee to join me in supporting Ryan.”
Republican National Committeeman Chris Ager is so far the only announced candidate for chairman of the New Hampshire Republican State Committee.Stephen Stepanek, the current chair, and Pam Tucker, the current vice chair, are both stepping down.
Alice Giordano is a former news correspondent for The Boston Globe, Associated Press, and New England bureau of The New York Times.
