NH Poll: Three GOP Primary Candidates Within Striking Distance of Unseating Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan

Three candidates vying for the nomination in the New Hampshire Republican primary for U.S. Senate would all be within striking distance of unseating Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in the general election, according to a poll.

The Data for Progress poll found that New Hampshire State Senate President Chuck Morse, General Don Bolduc – a highly decorated Army veteran  – and former Londonderry Town Manager Kevin Smith, are all just three to four percentage points behind Hassan in potential match-ups.

In a race between Morse and Hassan, the sitting senator drew 49 percent of the response, while 46 percent of survey participants said they would back Morse, the founder of Fresh Water Farms, which is a nursery, florist, and garden center. The poll found a split along party lines, with 99 percent of Democrats backing Hassan and 91 percent of Republicans supporting the state senate president. Concerning independents, Hassan had a slight advantage by a margin of 49 percent to 43 percent.

Bolduc drew 45 percent of the total response versus Hassan’s 49 percent and garnered the support of 89 percent of Republicans polled. Bolduc – who has five Bronze Star Medals, two awards for valor, and two Purple Hearts – garnered the support of 42 percent of independents, while 50 percent voiced support for the Democrat senator. 

The poll found Smith trailing Hassan by just four percentage points at 45 percent and 49 percent, respectively. Smith, who previously served as a senior aide to former U.S. Rep. Bob Smith (R-NH) and former Gov. Craig Benson (R-NH), fared similarly to Bolduc among Republcians, garnering 89 percent of the response, while he also fared slightly better with independents at 43 percent, versus Hassan’s 48 percent.

Hassan must beat out a pair of primary challengers in Paul J. Krautmann and John Riggieri to advance to the general election. In 2016, she unseated former Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) by one-tenth of a percentage point, taking home 354,649 votes to her opponent’s 353,632,  the New york Times’ 2016 election results show. 

The poll sampled 903 likely voters between June 22 and July 8 through “SMS and web panel respondents.” It has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.