Trump praises NH Senate candidate as Sununu weighs own bid

Former President Trump released a statement praising New Hampshire GOP Senate candidate Don Bolduc on Thursday as the state’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu weighs launching his own Senate bid. 

“Congratulations to General Don Bolduc on his incredible presentation regarding Mark Milley, the Taliban and China’s all-time favorite General!” Trump said, referring to a “Fox and Friends” interview in which Bolduc called on Milley, the chairman of the Joints Chiefs, to resign.

Milley has faced fierce backlash from conservatives this week over excerpts from a new book that reported Milley took extraordinary measures at the end of the Trump administration to guard against a potential missile launch.

However, it’s Trump’s praise of Bolduc that has raised eyebrows in Washington and New Hampshire. While Bolduc has launched his bid for Senate, Republican leaders have pushed Sununu to consider challenging Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan (N.H.) in next year’s midterms.

Trump even said in late July that he would like to see Sununu challenge Hassan, saying the governor “probably would poll the highest.”

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (R-Fla.) traveled to the Granite State last month to attend a Belknap County GOP event with Sununu.

“I hope he runs for the Senate, and I’m going to do my best to get him there,” Scott told Fox News during the visit.

But Sununu has repeatedly said he is in no rush to make any decisions about a potential run.

“I made it really clear to him a long time ago that I wasn’t going to make any decisions for quite a long time. So we spent about 20 minutes together today, just more catching up as old friends than anything. He knows I’m not making any decisions. I have no idea what I’m going to do,” Sununu told Fox News. 

Bolduc ran for Senate in 2020, losing to fellow Republican Corky Messner in the primary. Bolduc said that his loss was to the Republican establishment.