Digging an even deeper hole

| 3:00 pm EDT October 7, 2022
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As the midterm elections near, many Republican candidates are digging themselves an even deeper political grave as they chaotically race to reverse disappointing poll numbers. Herschel Walker’s handling of his abortion payment scandal through knee-jerk denialism and confusion is just the latest, high-profile example. In pursuing a spineless, erratic final approach to the November 8 landing strip, the Republican Party is succeeding only in exposing its desperation.

Just last week, I wrote about how GOP Senate nominee Don Bolduc, who abandoned his Big Lie adherence once the primaries ended, appeared to have experienced some sort of epiphany. Claiming he had “done a lot of research,” Bolduc promptly declared that he knew that “the election was not stolen.” Just to make sure we knew he meant it this time, he added how he’s “definitive on this.”

Bolduc’s shameful about-face was particularly startling because after signing an open letter with other retired Army generals and admirals last year warning of election irregularities, he assured a debate audience in September that the Big Lie was what he truly and firmly believed. “Damn it, I stand by my letter! I’m not switching horses, baby. This is it!”

Now, after swinging hard and fast across the pendulum, Bolduc appears to have fallen back in the trance of Big Lie nostalgia. Speaking at a town hall on Monday, Bolduc told a voter that he “can’t say” if Biden won the election because—despite all that supposed research—he doesn’t “have enough information.” After claiming anew that “we have irregularity,” Bolduc told another voter he believes that, indeed, there was fraud.

At this point, Bolduc, who continues to trail in the latest polls, has now crossed the ignoble threshold from super hypocrisy to utter incoherence. If you live in New Hampshire and all that matters is that your senators have the letter “R” after their names, then Bolduc is your guy. Or you can vote to reelect the second woman in U.S. history to win a race for both Governor and Senator, Maggie Hassan.