Granite State Voters Set to Chisel Down Primary Fields for US Senate

Nanette HoltSeptember 7, 2022

New Hampshire voters will chisel down a field of 11 Republican primary candidates on Sept. 13 in one of the country’s most consequential U.S. Senate races.

The Granite State race’s outcome could affect the balance of power in the Senate, either handing it back to Republicans or solidifying Democratic control.

The top finisher in New Hampshire’s GOP primary will face the state’s Democratic nominee in the November general election. That race pits first-term incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) against two challengers from her party.

Hassan, a former New Hampshire governor, is expected to move forward. While she holds a slight edge in the fall, according to political forecasters who weigh in on races around the country, pundits often use the term “vulnerable” when describing Hassan’s chances for reelection.

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) speaks at a Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs/Rules and Administration Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2021. (Shawn Thew/Pool via Getty Images)

Officially, the race is considered competitive. That’s why everyone is watching.

The U.S. Senate currently is split 50–50 between Democrats and Republicans, with Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, casting any tie-breaking votes.

Until recently, the country’s leading prognosticators had been predicting Republicans would pick up one to three seats in the Senate, retaking control. Now, they say, one party is likely to have a net gain of one seat, but it’s not clear which is favored.

Former President Donald Trump has stayed oddly quiet on his pick in the New Hampshire Republican primary field. Money for advertising has poured in from political action committees (PAC) controlled by Senate Republicans and Senate Democrats seeking to influence the race.

The beneficiary of the most spending is nursery owner Chuck Morse, a Republican who has served for eight years as the state’s Senate president, a job