The Keene Sentinel editorial board today endorsed Senator Maggie Hassan for re-election, writing that Senator Hassan has “worked continually for the betterment of the Granite State and America” and has “shown she can, and will, work across the aisle to accomplish a goal.”
Read the full endorsement below:
Keene Sentinel Opinion: Maggie Hassan; The former governor has succeeded in Washington, and deserves voters’ support
Maggie Hassan has done much in her first term in the Senate.
Aside from the 11 bills she’s introduced that Congress passed in some fashion, she’s worked continually for the betterment of the Granite State and America.
In just the past couple of years, she worked on the $1 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; fought for expansion of rural broadband; and backed passage of key pandemic aid bills, which have been critical to the state’s survival during the pandemic.
With fellow Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, she cosponsored the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Full Funding Act, mandating the federal government fully fund the 40 percent of IDEA money it promised decades ago for local school systems dealing with special education costs.
Hassan worked directly with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to write and introduce legislation that put a lid on so-called surprise medical billing.
And she was an author of the recent CHIPS and Science Act, which encourages the construction of microprocessor manufacturing facilities in the United States to better protect our supply chain and lessen our dependence on microchips made in China and Taiwan.
As a former governor of New Hampshire, Hassan knows how federal aid can be put to use here, and what concerns the state has long needed to address.
…she’s shown she can, and will, work across the aisle to accomplish a goal, and that she knows in partisan government you often don’t get what you want without giving up something else.
On the Republican side, voters have chosen former Army Gen. Don Bolduc of Stratham as Hassan’s opponent. As one might expect, Bolduc has leaned into the themes of patriotism and strength in his campaign. Not putting too fine a point on it, he’s dubbed his down-the-stretch campaign “Don Bolduc’s American Strength Town Hall Tour.”
Unfortunately, he appears to think strength and patriotism are enough of a resume to serve in a divided U.S. Senate. Until he decided to run for office, Bolduc’s main claim to fame was leading a unit on horseback during U.S. operations in Afghanistan. He is certainly to be commended for his service and leadership there and on other battlegrounds.
In 2020, Bolduc set his sights on the U.S. Senate, challenging incumbent Jeanne Shaheen. But he never made it past the primary. This time, he got a charge from the riled base of Donald Trump, lending credence for months to the idea the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, despite all evidence to the contrary. So much for patriotism.
Certainly not coincidentally, two days after winning the GOP primary, Bolduc had an epiphany: Trump wasn’t robbed, after all, and Joe Biden really is the president. So much for strength.
Trump aside, Bolduc’s positions are extreme. In one primary debate, he suggested abolishing the FBI and Homeland Security, and repealing the 17th Amendment to the Constitution (which, ironically, gives the people the power to directly elect U.S. senators).
On abortion — one of the key issues of this election — he’s said women should “rejoice” in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs ruling, overturning Roe V. Wade. Asked about the topic on WMUR-TV, he said those upset with the ruling should “get over it” and focus instead on inflation, a more promising issue for the GOP.
Two months ago, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he wasn’t sure the GOP would win control of the Senate in this election — once almost a given — lamenting the quality of candidates in many swing states. Though he’s hardly the worst of the bunch, it’s easy to see Bolduc’s image passing before McConnell’s eyes as he contemplated that statement.
Fortunately, Granite Staters don’t have to settle. They have an incumbent senator who’s doing fine and showing no signs of slowing down.
We support Maggie Hassan’s return to the U.S. Senate.
— The Keene Sentinel editorial board
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