Former President Trump criticized two GOP Senate nominees who lost their races on Tuesday and had broken with Trump during the campaign on his unfounded claims of election fraud.
Trump on Truth Social laid into Colorado Republican Senate nominee Joe O’Dea and New Hampshire Republican Senate nominee Don Bolduc after their races were called for Democratic incumbents, both of whom were seen as the front-runners.
“Joe O’Dea lost BIG! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” Trump wrote about the Colorado Republican.
Republican Joe O’Dea on Oct. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Unlike most other battleground Senate nominees, O’Dea forcefully broke with Trump on the 2020 election, even going as far to say in recent weeks that he would campaign against Trump if he mounts another White House bid.
Trump on multiple occasions returned the attacks against O’Dea as he faced an uphill battle against incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), although other Republicans had been bullish on O’Dea’s chances.
Multiple outlets called the race in favor of Bennet on Tuesday evening.
In New Hampshire, Bolduc had won his primary over an establishment candidate backed by the state’s sitting Republican governor, who is also a frequent Trump critic.
Bolduc had endorsed Trump’s unfounded claims of mass electoral fraud in the 2020 presidential election, only to reverse his position in the days following his primary victory.
But as the general campaign progressed, Bolduc at times continued to sow doubt in the last election during a debate against Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), who ultimately won on Tuesday.
New Hampshire Republican Don Bolduc on Sept. 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
“Don Bolduc was a very nice guy, but he lost tonight when he disavowed, after his big primary win, his longstanding stance on Election Fraud in the 2020 Presidential Primary. Had he stayed strong and true, he would have won, easily. Lessons Learned!!!” Trump wrote on Tuesday.
The former president had formally endorsed Bolduc late last week.
Bolduc trailed Hassan in the polls in the early days of the Granite State’s general election phase, but polls had shown the race tightening in recent weeks, giving Republicans hope that Bolduc could pull off an upset.