NH primary 2022: Bolduc claims win over Morse in close GOP Senate race. Leavitt wins House nomination.

Retired Army Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc won New Hampshire’s Senate Republican primary on Wednesday and will face potentially vulnerable Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan in November — setting up another test of whether a fierce conservative can appeal to more moderate general election voters.

Bolduc wasn’t formally endorsed by former President Donald Trump but has said he believes Trump won the 2020 election and has espoused conspiracy theories about vaccines. The former president called him a “strong guy, tough guy.”

Two other pro-Trump candidates won their U.S. House primaries in New Hampshire — Karoline Leavitt in the 1st Congressional District and Bob Burns in the 2nd Congressional District — leaving some in the party questioning whether they will be able to broaden their appeal beyond the GOP base in November.

NH primary 2022 election results: Here's a look at all the races across the state

“Nice! The “Trumpiest” people ALL won in New Hampshire last night. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday.

Primaries in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware on Tuesday capped the nation’s primary season just eight weeks before Election Day, when majorities in both chambers of Congress, key governorships and scores of important state offices will be up for grabs.

Dozens of candidates around the country who were openly championed by Trump — or at least hewed closely to his brand — helped extend his hold on the national GOP. They notched primary wins up and down the ballot from Maryland to Arizona, Florida to Michigan. Some defeated Republican incumbents who had been open Trump antagonists.

The former president and the larger movement of Trumpism, which President Joe Biden and other top Democrats have decried as presenting a major threat to American democracy, didn’t win every major race of the primary cycle. But those candidates who used the former president’s support to win GOP nominations now will likely have to prove they can appeal to a broader swath of the electorate in general elections, where larger numbers of voters tend to be more moderate than those who turn out for primaries.

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The results of Tuesday's primaries mean the general election for Senate in New Hampshire should provide another such test. Biden carried the state by more than 7 percentage points. Republican primary voters also picked conservative candidates this year in moderate or Democratic-leaning states including Massachusetts, potentially putting competitive races out of the party’s reach.

Bolduc's victory likely reignites disappointment among some in the national party that Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, a relatively popular moderate who might have posed more of a threat to Hassan, chose instead to run for reelection. In his primary, Bolduc defeated New Hampshire state Senate President Chuck Morse, a mainstream Republican endorsed by Sununu, who called Morse “the candidate to beat Sen. Hassan this November and the candidate Sen. Hassan is most afraid to face.”

By contrast, Sununu called Bolduc a conspiracy theorist and suggested he would have a tougher time in the general election. Bolduc wasn’t bothered by Sununu’s criticism, calling the governor “a Chinese communist sympathizer.”

Some Democratic groups, meanwhile, sponsored primary ads promoting Bolduc, predicting he’d make an easier opponent for Hassan. That’s consistent with Democratic-aligned organizations backing pro-Trump candidates in key races around the country — a strategy some have criticized, arguing that it could backfire if those candidates go on to win their general elections.

“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,” Bolduc tweeted in the wee hours of Wednesday. “Throughout the primary, I have felt the concerns of the voters, and heard time and again we need to send an outsider to Washington.”

New Hampshire, known for kicking off the primary season during presidential campaigns, instead concluded the nominating process for this year's midterms. The races were less high profile in Rhode Island and Delaware, where Biden traveled late Tuesday to cast his ballot.

The final primary contests unfolded at a dramatic moment in the midterm campaign. Republicans have spent much of the year building their election year message around Biden and his management of the economy, particularly soaring prices. But Democrats are now entering the final stretch with a sense of cautious optimism as Biden's approval rating steadies and inflation has slowed for the second straight month, even as it remains high.

The Supreme Court's decision overturning a constitutional right to an abortion may provide Democrats with the energy they need to turn back the defeats that historically accompany a new president's first midterms.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the challenge last month, saying his party may be more likely to end Democrats' narrow control of the House than the Senate. He bemoaned “candidate quality” as a factor that could sway some outcomes in his chamber.

Many of the same dynamics swirling around the former president were also at work Tuesday in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District, where Leavitt, who worked in the Trump White House’s press office, topped some more experienced Republicans with ties to the former president. She'll square off against Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in another November contest that could be close.

Leavitt, who just turned 25 and could be among the first members of Gen Z in Congress, said she was “sending a strong and clear message to the Washington, D.C., establishment, and our Democratic opponent that our votes cannot be bought, our conservative voices can not be silenced.” She also laced into Pappas, saying he "has campaigned his entire political career as a moderate, bipartisan voice for our district. But he has voted as a far left socialist Democrat.”

Pappas also wasted little time going on the offensive against Leavitt, saying, “I will fight with everything I’ve got to stop extreme politicians like Karoline from hijacking our democracy."

In New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, the pro-Trump Burns won the Republican nomination to face five-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster in a general election race the GOP sees as potentially very competitive.

Karoline Leavitt knocks off Mowers, will face Pappas

Leavitt, a Hampton resident who worked in Trump’s White House press office, topped several Republicans with Trump ties to win the Republican primary for the 1st Congressional District in New Hampshire Tuesday.

Leavitt advances to the general election in November to face Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas.

Leavitt, 25, said she was “sending a strong and clear message to the Washington, D.C., establishment, and our Democratic opponent that our votes cannot be bought, our conservative voices can not be silenced.”

In her speech at her victory party at The Community Oven in Hampton, she called her run so far a “grassroots, historic campaign,” and said she would continue to fight “the socialist Democrats who are destroying this country.”

Pappas also wasted little time going on the offensive against Leavitt, saying, “I will fight with everything I’ve got to stop extreme politicians like Karoline from hijacking our democracy."

Leavitt has campaigned with Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

The GOP field included former TV broadcaster Gail Huff Brown, wife of Scott Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts and ambassador to New Zealand during the Trump administration. Also running was Matt Mowers, who won the district's congressional 2020 Republican nomination and was a Trump administration State Department adviser. Mowers conceded via Twitter, writing “unfortunately, tonight’s results did not go our way.”

Bolduc has doubters in GOP

A Bolduc victory might reignite disappointment among some national Republicans that Sununu, a relatively popular moderate who likely could have posed more of a threat to Hassan, chose instead to run for reelection. The GOP is grappling with the possibility of again nominating a candidate who is popular with the party's base but struggles to broaden support ahead of the November general election.

Republican primary voters have similarly chosen conservative candidates this year in moderate or Democratic-leaning states including Massachusetts and Maryland, potentially putting competitive races out of the party's reach.

Neil Levesque, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, said Bolduc is a type of candidate who would have struggled to succeed in GOP politics before Trump's rise. He's never held elected office and had just $75,000 in cash on hand last week. Bolduc has nonetheless been able to make inroads by positioning himself as an ally of Trump and his election falsehoods.

"That is because the theme of his campaign and messaging is very similar to former President Trump," Levesque said. "If it mirrors the former president, it's been effective."

Federal and state officials and Trump's own attorney general have said there is no credible evidence the election was tainted. The former president's allegations of fraud were also roundly rejected by courts, including by judges Trump appointed.

Known for kicking off the primary season during presidential campaigns, New Hampshire is instead concluding the nominating process for this year's midterms. There are also primaries Tuesday in Rhode Island and Delaware, where President Joe Biden traveled late Tuesday to cast his ballot.

But New Hampshire's Senate race is perhaps most revealing about the direction of the GOP. Morse has been endorsed by Sununu, who called him "the candidate to beat Sen. Hassan this November and the candidate Sen. Hassan is most afraid to face."

By contrast, Sununu called Bolduc a conspiracy theorist and suggested he could have a tougher time winning the general election.

Bolduc wasn't bothered by Sununu's criticism, calling the governor "a Chinese communist sympathizer." Bolduc wasn't formally endorsed by Trump, who propelled many primary candidates to victory in key races throughout the summer. But the former president has called Bolduc a "strong guy."

The final primary contests unfolded at a dramatic moment in the midterm campaign. Republicans have spent much of the year building their election-year message around Biden and his management of the economy, particularly soaring prices. But Democrats are now entering the final stretch with a sense of cautious optimism as approval of Biden steadies and inflation has slowed for the second straight month, even as it remains high.

The Supreme Court's decision overturning a woman's constitutional right to an abortion may provide Democrats with the energy they need to turn back the defeats that historically accompany a new president's first midterms.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged the challenge last month, saying his party may be more likely to end Democrats' narrow control of the House than the Senate. He bemoaned "candidate quality" as a factor that could sway some outcomes in his chamber.

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Some Democratic groups, meanwhile, have sponsored primary ads promoting Bolduc, predicting he'll make an easier November opponent for Hassan. That's consistent with Democratic-aligned organizations backing pro-Trump candidates in key races around the country — a strategy some have criticized, arguing that it could backfire if those candidates go on to win their general elections.

Republicans in New Hampshire and around the country scoff at the notion that being a Trump loyalist — or not — could be a deciding general election factor, noting that the still unpopular Biden will be a drag on his party regardless.

The New Hampshire Republican Party has tweeted that Hassan "votes with Joe Biden 96.4% of the time."

Many of the same dynamics swirling around the former president are at work in New Hampshire's 2nd Congressional District, where pro-Trump candidate Bob Burns is among several Republicans vying for the party's nomination to face five-term incumbent Democratic Rep. Annie Kuster.

Morse vs. Bolduc battle on display in Stratham

State Sen. Chuck Morse, who stopped at the polls Tuesday at Stratham Memorial School, is not happy Democrats have been spending money on advertising designed to help his rival, retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc of Stratham.

Democrats appear to believe it would be much easier for Hassan to defeat Bolduc than Morse. Morse predicted the strategy would “work against” Democrats.

“I suppose I should thank (the Democrats) today because it really ticked off the Republicans in New Hampshire, they don’t like Democrats meddling in our primary,” Morse said. “I’ve made it clear from the beginning that I was running against Maggie Hassan and nothing’s changed on that. I think we’ve proven that we’ve accomplished an awful lot in New Hampshire and the Democrats can bring all their money in here, but the people in New Hampshire know what inflation is doing to them and they know what these prices are right now when they’re paying for gas and oil.”

Doug Scamman, a Republican from Stratham who was formerly speaker of the House in New Hampshire for three terms, said Tuesday he supports Morse in the U.S. Senate race because of his credibility.

“It’s very important that (Chuck Morse) gets nominated because he’s the one Republican that can beat Maggie Hassan,” Scamman said, as he stood with supporters holding signs for Morse outside the polls at Stratham Memorial School. “He’s the one person whose history shows that he works with all people. I think he has the skills to work with people in the proper manner.”

On the other side, Nancy Kindler held up a sign in support of Don Bolduc, saying that voters “need to turn things around.”

“We need as many of our Republicans in office as possible — good, honest, conservative Republicans,” Kindler said. “I stand by Don Buldoc because I believe he’s a man of his word. I have seen him in action and I know enough about him. He lives here in Stratham and he cares about what’s going on. He’s proven as a brigadier general that he can handle a lot under pressure, and he can take on something he’s never done before.”

Kindler said she backs Bolduc because he stands by citizens' right to freedom of speech, the Second Amendment and voting integrity.

Seacoastonline reporters Aqeel Hisham and Max Sullivan contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH primary results Live: Bolduc claims win, Leavitt advances for GOP