Sen. Maggie Hassan, Republican Don Bolduc to face off in New Hampshire Senate debate

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan and Republican challenger Don Bolduc are set to meet on the debate stage Wednesday night less than one week before voters will decide who wins the New Hampshire Senate seat.

The two candidates went head-to-head in a debate last week where they sparred over inflation, abortion and false claims of 2020 election fraud.

The debate is the first since challenger Bolduc received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump. In a Truth Social post earlier this week, Trump called the candidate a "strong and proud 'Election Denier,' a big reason that he won the nomination."

Stay in the conversation on politics: Sign up for the OnPolitics newsletter

The closely watched Senate race will determine if Hassan serves another term. As the Senate is split 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes for Democrats, the net gain of even just one seat will give Republicans control of the chamber.

When is the debate?

The live debate will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. It is scheduled to last one hour.

How to watch?

The debate will air live on WMUR-TV and on WMUR.com.

Who is debating?

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan is running for reelection to keep her Senate seat. The senator formerly served as New Hampshire governor from 2013 to 2016.

During her term, Hassan focused on mental health and addiction funding as well as passing COVID relief packages.

Republican challenger Don Bolduc is vying to unseat Hassan. A former police officer and retired Army general, Bolduc is a supporter of Trump's claims that the election was stolen.

He recently made headlines for claiming that children can identify as "anthropomorphic cats" and use litter boxes in schools, CNN reported. The claim is a hoax, as are similar claims in other states.

What are the top issues?

Abortion and inflation are among top concerns for voters in New Hampshire.

Bolduc said he would not support a federal ban on abortion, saying it is a state issue. Hassan is a staunch supporter of abortion rights.

During the previous debate, Bolduc spoke on inflation, putting the blame on Hassan for the high prices of oil, gas and food.

"Everything has doubled... and it's her fault," Bolduc said during the debate pointing to Hassan.

Hassan emphasized how Bolduc continued to "stoke the big lie" by making false claims of 2020 election fraud.

"He is working and has been working to conceal how extreme he is," she said. "He thinks he doesn't need to accept election results."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New Hampshire Senate race: Maggie Hassan, Don Bolduc to debate