New Hampshire GOP candidate does 180 after primary, says election wasn’t stolen

New Hampshire Republican Senate nominee Don Bolduc on Thursday said the 2020 presidential election was not stolen, reversing course after claiming during his primary that former President Trump won.

During an appearance on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom,” host Dana Perino asked Bolduc if he still stood by a letter he signed with 123 other retired generals and admirals casting doubt on the election.

“I’ve spent the past couple of weeks talking to Granite Staters all over the state, from every party, and I have come to the conclusion — and I want to be definitive on this — the election was not stolen,” Bolduc said.

“Was there fraud? Yes.” he continued. “Is that a concern of Granite Staters all over the state? Yes. Is there a responsibility for public servants in elected positions to ensure that our citizens have faith in their voting system? Yes.”

As recently as August, Bolduc said he stood by the unfounded claim that Trump won the presidency in 2020.

On Tuesday, Bolduc fended off a challenge from state Senate President Chuck Morse, the establishment favorite for the Senate nomination. He will face incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) in November in what is expected to be a close race.

“Elections have consequences, and unfortunately President Biden is the legitimate president of this country, and he is ruining it along with Maggie Hassan,” Bolduc said on Fox News. “And that is the takeaway here. They want to bring us back to 2020. I want to move us forward to 2022 and 2024.”

Hassan’s campaign said Bolduc is now “desperately trying to run” away from his past claims.

“Don Bolduc has spent the entire campaign touting the Big Lie, and he can’t hide from that record,” Hassan campaign spokesperson Kevin Donohue said in a statement. “He has even said that he supports overturning the results of the 2024 election if it doesn’t go his way. A word salad on Fox will not erase his record of election denial.”

Republicans see the New Hampshire seat as a key pickup opportunity as they hope to flip the chamber’s control in November, but in recent weeks many in the party became worried that nominating Bolduc could complicate their path.

Bolduc has sparred with other Republicans at times, once claiming New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) was a “Chinese communist sympathizer.”

Sununu endorsed Morse, Bolduc’s primary competitor, days before the contest and has called Bolduc a “conspiracy theorist-type candidate.”