New Hampshire's race between Sen. Maggie Hassan and challenger Don Bolduc is being watched closely as Democrats and Republicans compete for control of the Senate.
Hassan, a two-term Democratic governor, was elected to the Senate in 2016. Her victories in statewide races and her incumbency have not stopped Bolduc, a Republican and retired Army brigadier general, from closing in as the midterm election approaches.
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"You know, we have always known this is going to be a really close race," Hassan told NBC10 Boston.
Still, Bolduc's surge has taken many by surprise, prompting outside organizations to see an opening.
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Hassan said Bolduc "has been backed up by $55 million in dark money from national Republicans."
Polls show Bolduc trailing Hassan, but he says he's confident he can close that gap. That feeling is apparently shared by the Senate Leadership Fund, which, as of last week, had pumped $23 million into his race.
Among those in Bolduc's corner is former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who campaigned with him last week and gushed that he would help lower gas prices, fight the growing crime and drug wave and push back on a "woke" culture she says is supported by Hassan.
"I don't talk about conservative values, I talk about American values," Bolduc said.
Hassan says she's pushing back by highlighting her work to improve the economy and inflation, adding that she has stood up to pharmaceutical companies to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and supports suspending the gas tax, which Bolduc opposes.
The Democratic senator also said she is "leading a bipartisan push for the administration to release more home heating fuels so that we can increase the supply and lower peoples heating costs."
Bolduc has changed his public stances on multiple issues since the primary, most notably reversing his denial that President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in 2020.
"I signed a letter with 120 other generals and admirals saying that Trump won the election, and damn it, I stand by my word," Bolduc said in August before winning the primary.
Last week, NBC10 Boston pressed him on this change.
"I do not believe the election was stolen," he replied, standing beside Haley. "So this question should no longer ever come up. It's a done deal … I've changed my mind, and that's the end of it."
Hassan says Bolduc is concealing from voters the extreme positions on which he campaigned against fellow Republicans.
"He would eliminate Social Security," Hassan said. "He'd be a yes vote for a nationwide abortion ban. And he is an election denier."
Decision 2022
Bolduc has also softened his public positions on Medicare and Social Security, no longer suggesting they should be privatized. And while he supported the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, he told NBC10 Boston last week he opposes banning abortion nationwide.
"Our state has a law," he said. "That's what I support. I will not support any federal bans."
Hassan says women should be able to make choices about their pregnancies when they are dealing with dire circumstances.
"The last person who should be in the examining room with that woman is Don Bolduc or any legislator," Hassan said.
Bolduc scoffed at suggestions from Hassan and other critics that he would revert to extreme positions if he wins.
"I'm a common sense guy that believes we need to increase our energy, which they stopped flowing in order to bring down inflation," he said.
Beyond promoting her opponent's extremism, Hassan says she is mainly working to remind voters of her own record of results.
"Whether it's expanding high-speed internet, or fixing roads and bridges, boosting manufacturing, or making sure that our veterans get the care that they have earned and deserve," she listed.
Hassan will have some help on the campaign trail when First Lady Jill Biden visits the Granite State on Saturday.
