Election 2022: Leavitt, Bolduc, Burns Win NH GOP Primaries

CONCORD, NH — Despite many uncontested races across New Hampshire, candidates vying for state and federal offices made a last-ditch pitch to voters on Tuesday, hoping they could earn enough votes to move onto the general election in November.

Most voter interest was in three Republican races for U.S. Senate and Congress.

The U.S. Senate Republican primary has 11 candidates attempting to secure the nomination to face off against first-term Senator, Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, who is considered one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the nation. The winner of the seat could determine which party controls the Senate during the next two years.

Both Congressional district Republican primaries also have crowded fields seeking to oppose the state’s Democrat Representatives to Congress. Ten GOP candidates are on the ballot in the 1st Congressional District race, while seven are on the ballot in the 2nd Congressional District.

Hassan had token opposition from two Democrats in the primary and was quickly declared the winner of her primary by the Associated Press.

Democrats in the down-ballot races have a handful of competitive races, with most candidates moving straight to the general election due to a lack of challenges. Republicans have more competitive down-ballot primaries in Patch communities.

While the Senate and Congressional primaries have been chiefly a sleepy affair in 2022, with large numbers of undecided voters, according to polls, millions of special interest money have flowed into the state during the past few weeks.

Competitive Races In New Hampshire

Note: These are unofficial results; Asterisk (*) denotes winner.

GOP Governor

Chris Sununu 80,271 *

Karen Testerman 10,132

Thaddeus Riley 7,451

Julian Acciard 1,991

Jay Lewis 976

Richard McMenamon II 622

Democrat U.S. Senate

Maggie Hassan 68,197 *

Paul Krautmann 2,993

John Riggieri 1,240

GOP U.S. Senate

Don Bolduc 37,474

Chuck Morse 33,994

Kevin Smith 11,540

Vikram Mansharamani 7,706

Bruce Fenton 4,654

John Berman 691

Andy Martin 678

Tejasinha Sivalingam 599

Edmond Laplante Jr. 544

Dennis Lamare 534

Gerard Beloin 377

GOP U.S. Congress, District 1

Karoline Leavitt 18,520 *

Matt Mowers 13,947

Gail Huff Brown 9,646

Russell Prescott 5,774

Tim Baxter 4,859

Mary Maxwell 534

Kevin Rondeau 421

Gilead Towne 335

Tom Alciere 256

GOP U.S. Congress, District 2

Robert Burns 13,749

George Hansel 13,189

Lily Tang Williams 10,314

Scott Black 1,421

Jay Mercer 1,327

Dean Poirier 1,327

Michael Callis 704

Democrat Executive Council District 2

Cinde Warmington 18,013 *

Michael Cryans 3,527

Bradford Todd 1,021

GOP Executive Council District 2

Harold French 9,938

Kim Strathdee 5,158

GOP Executive Council District 4

Ted Gatsas 10,683

Terese Grinnell 4,052

GOP Executive Council District 5

Dave Wheeler 10,922

Anne Copp 3,129

Reaction To Results

Gov. Chris Sununu was challenged by five other Republicans but was declared the winner of the primary by the AP early. He said “strong fiscal management of the Granite State is more critical than ever" in the state.

“Under my leadership, New Hampshire has the fastest growing economy in the nation and is the #1 state for personal freedoms," he said. "With Tom Sherman as governor, New Hampshire would have an income tax, higher electricity taxes, and less freedom. The stakes are too high this November to change direction now."

The GOP Senate primary had not been called as of 1 a.m., but Don Bolduc, a former general, declared victory with a 3,300 vote lead and 78 percent reporting.

"Our campaign overcame the odds and millions of dollars in spending from outside special interest groups because we built a true bottom-up grassroots campaign," he said. "Throughout the primary, I have felt the concerns of the voters, and heard time and again we need to send an outsider to Washington."

Bolduc said while he might be outspent by Hassan and special interests, his strategy would remain consistent — "a true New Hampshire campaign based on town hall meetings, debates, openness, and transparency."

Bolduc added, "I am going to keep campaigning the New Hampshire way. I am grateful for the trust Granite Staters placed in me tonight, and I pledge to always be their champion in Washington."

Around 11 p.m., Senate President Chuck Morse said he was confident his campaign would advance to the general election. He thanked his wife and daughter as well as supporters.

Democrats spent millions of dollars on advertising attacking Morse in an effort to ensure Bolduc won the nomination. Democrats believe Bolduc’s faux pas and previous outrageous comments — like claiming Sununu was a Chinese communist sympathizer, will ensure Hassan’s reelection.

A Republican PAC is doing its best to dilute the Democrats’ efforts, spending millions of dollars promoting Morse while attacking Bolduc.

Bruce Fenton, another Senate candidate, conceded on Twitter, suggesting people "keep fighting for liberty" and thanking his supporters.

"We didn’t win the election tonight," he said. "I learned a lot, met great people, shared ideas, toured our state & leveled up skills. Great as a 1st time candidate joining a major race late. What an experience."

Mansharamani, who placed fourth, thanked his family, campaign team, and supporters on Twitter.

"While we are still waiting on some results, it is clear that I will come up short," he said. "I would also like to thank my opponents for a hard-fought race."

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Before the 1st Congressional District race was called, Karoline Leavitt declared victory, just before 11 p.m. .

Leavitt called for more border patrol agents, support for the police, less spending, and energy independence while also warning Democrats their votes could not be bought. She said the campaign had overperformed expectations, and she was ready to head to Washington to fight for New Hampshire voters and values.

"We were outspent, but we were not outworked," she said on Twitter. "Thank you to the people of my home district for believing in me! I am humbled by the outpouring of support and honored to be your #NH01 Republican Nominee. Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow, the work continues."

Mowers conceded on Twitter later saying, thanking the state's voters.

"Unfortunately," he said, "tonight's results did not go our way, but I will never stop fighting for those middle-class families to ensure they are not forgotten."

Gail Huff Brown, who placed third, said it was "clear" that the winner would not be her. She also pledged to continue to be involved.

"I'm so grateful to all of my supporters and the many volunteers and staff who poured their hearts into this campaign," she said.

On Twitter, state Rep. Tim Baxter conceded and said he would be supporting the 1st Congressional District nominee.

"Unfortunately, tonight was not our night," he said. "I want to thank everyone that sacrificed for our campaign. It means the world to me."

Illegal Mailers Affected Race?

Even illegal mailers attempting to influence the outcome of the races have been sent to voters.

Democrats have also promoted the candidacy of Republican Bob Burns in the 2nd Congressional District, with the thinking U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster will have an easier time beating him in what has been a Democrat-safe seat since 2012 than she would against George Hansel, the mayor of Keene, a moderate endorsed by Sununu. Neither federal nor state election enforcement officials, in two states, have taken action against the Massachusetts Democrat printer responsible for sending the illegal mailers into New Hampshire.

The dirty trick echoes one in 2016, which probably cost incumbent U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte the seat. She lost the race to Hassan by about 1,000 votes. Yet days before the election, thousands of illegal mailers, with factually incorrect information, were sent from a New Jersey Democrat printer to voters in the state, driving who knows how many votes away from Ayotte to Aaron Day, a liberty independent, who garnered 17,000 votes.

Republican political action committee money was also spent promoting the campaign of Mowers, who lost to incumbent U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas in 2020 by more than 20,000 votes in a historically swing seat. Ads on television and online are also denigrating another Republican, Leavitt, a native of the state, who worked in President Donald Trump’s comms shop. Mowers has been the frontrunner for most of the race since he has not stopped running since he lost in 2020. But both Leavitt and Brown, the former journalist, and wife of former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, have surged late in the race.

Executive Council Races

Two Republican incumbent executive councilors face primary challenges, while the only Democrat on the council also received a challenge from a former councilor redistricted into the seat.

Cinde Warmington, the District 2 executive councilor, declared victory at just before 9 p.m., saying she was humbled by the support.

“Thank you to the Democrats of District 2 for placing your trust in me to best represent our values on the Executive Council," she said. "As I have for the last two years, I will continue to fight for reproductive freedom, demand workers receive fair pay for fair work, protect public education, and deliver lower costs for Granite State families. There are many more tough fights ahead, but today's results prove that — together — we will win."

At The Polls

Sununu, while campaigning with Morse, said he was having fun even though he was facing off against five other candidates. He was shooting for two-thirds or more of the vote.

“Look,” he said, “You have to work hard to earn that. I think we have had a great record of results and I’m very confident we’re going to do well today.”

The governor said, though, the real race was in November, which was why he was stumping for Morse.

“You can’t govern,” he said, “if you don’t win.”

Morse said he was feeling good about his prospects including an aggressive get-out-the-vote operation that he was proud of. He said the campaign knocked on tens of thousands of doors and made many more phone calls to targeted voters.

“We know what we had to do to turn the vote out,” he said.

In an email, Bolduc said, he had crisscrossed the state for the last two years while listening to concerns “about inflation, energy prices, runaway spending and out of touch politicians.” After all of that time, reaching out to Republican and undeclared voters, he was ready for the general election.

“I'm ready to work for New Hampshire and bring an outsider perspective to DC,” he said.

Warmington said the challenges from Cryans and Todd were what democracy was about; anyone can run. But it was also surprising.

“Yeah,” she said, “being the incumbent, and, I think, by all measures, doing a good job … it was surprising.”

Warmington was proud of the campaign she ran and felt confident about the work she had been doing and the support she had. She also had enjoyed introducing herself to all of the new communities in the redrawn district.

“We feel very positive about it,” she said. “But course, we wait for the votes to be counted, right?”

Turnout

Secretary of State David Scanlan predicted 270,000 voters casting ballots on Tuesday — including 149,000 Republicans or undeclared voters taking a GOP ballot.

That number would be about 35,000 shy of the current record in September 2020, after absentee ballot laws were loosened due to the coronavirus pandemic. The previous record was set in September 2018, around 228,000.

However, on Good Morning NH with Jack Heath, Scanlan said he expected turnout to be slightly lower than the original prediction — although he was not sure by how much. He came to the lower conclusion after spending some time at polls around the state during the first few hours of voting and seeing how light the turnout was. Scanlan hoped more voters would turnout in the latter hours as residents got off work.

2022 Campaign Coverage

• Mass. Political Mail House Refuses To ID Illegal Mail Customer: NH AG
• Sununu Endorsement Gives Morse A Boost In 2022 NH Primary — But Is It Too Late?
• Did Frontrunner Bolduc Flip Flop On 2020 Election Steal?
• Democrats Double Down On Backing For Bob Burns In NH-02 GOP Primary
• Pro-Morse PAC Drops TV Ad Blasting Bolduc's 'Crazy Ideas'
• Sununu: Bolduc A 'Conspiracy Theorist Extremist;' Will Make It Harder For GOP To Win
• How Will Huff Brown's 'Protect Choice' Ad Play In GOP Primary?
• Mass. Democrat Shop Drops Anonymous Mailer Boosting Burns In NH-02 Republican Primary
• No Trump Endorse For Morse, Insiders Say
• Analysis: NH First Congressional District Debate Was All About Location
• Is There A Secret Anti-Sununu Vote In The NHGOP?
• Dems Spending in NH GOP Senate Primary Continues Despite Pushback
• Trump Teases Possible Bolduc Endorsement In NH Senate Race
• NH-01 Field Trains Its Fire On Mowers During Debate
• ICYMI: In NH-02 Primary Debate, GOP Candidates Clash On Immigration, Abortion
• UNH Poll: Mowers, Leavitt And Huff Brown All In The CD 1 Hunt; Burns Dominates In CD 2
• 'Hoe Bag' Attack Ad Drops Hits NH Congressional Candidate Leavitt On Age, Maturity
• Analysis: Three Takeaways From The NH-02 GOP Primary Debate
• 'Bipartisan' Kuster Says GOP Wants To Overthrow Democracy
• Another Poll Gives Mowers 'Commanding Lead' In NH-01 GOP Primary
• Morse PAC Pushes Fundraising Fight To Forefront In NH GOP Senate Primary
• Hansel Kicks Off Congressional Campaign With Sununu Endorsement
• New Hampshire Progressives Fall In Line As Hassan, Pappas Tack Right
• Candidates Debate Abortion, 2020 Election In NH-01 GOP Primary Debate
• Hansel Creates Committee For NH-02 Run, Hit With Twitter 'Dirty Trick'
• Morse, Mowers Skip Debates Hosted By 'Election Integrity' Group
• SNHU Restricts Audience For Leavitt Appearance, Insists On Right To Reject 'Controversial' Speakers
• Fenton, Morse Mix It Up In Newsmax Debate
• Restauranter Backs Leavitt In 1st Congressional District GOP Primary
• State Announces Election Monitors For Bedford, Laconia And Windham
• NH-01 Update: New Poll Shows Leavitt, Mowers Neck-And-Neck In NH GOP Primary
• Fact Check: Hassan Ad Touting Tax Cuts As Governor Doesn't Match Record
• Meet The Blue-Collar Guy In The New Pappas TV Ad — A Lawyer At A Concord Firm
• Analysis: Solid Field Shines In NH-01 Debate, But Left Race Unshaken
• Concord NARAL Pro-Choice NH Supporters: Vote Warmington On Tuesday
• Hansel: Kuster, Congress On Vacay As Granite Staters Struggle
• Conservative PAC Targets 'Vulnerable' Hassan As Top Pick-Up Opportunity For GOP
• Analysis: 5 Takeaways From The First NH GOP U.S. Senate Debate
• HuffPo Hit Piece Targets Smith; He Points Finger At Morse Campaign
• Bergeron: Maggie Hassan Is Wrong For New Hampshire
• Exclusive NH-01 GOP POLL: Trump Faves High, Mowers Holds Big Lead
• Manchester State Rep. Resigns — But Is Still On Democrat Primary Ballot
• New Hampshire Progressives To Hassan: You Won't Get Our Votes
• Analysis: Filing Day A Preview Of Dems' Coming Attractions In November
• Hassan Backs More Border Wall In Face Of New Hampshire Latino Protests

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