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Bolduc abandons false claims of stolen election, days after GOP Senate primary win

Retired Army Gen. Don Bolduc says he has changed his mind about whether the 2020 election was stolen, a claim that has been repeatedly debunked by national and local election officials.
Mary Schwalm/AP
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FR158029 AP
Retired Army Gen. Don Bolduc says he has changed his mind about whether the 2020 election was stolen, a claim that has been repeatedly debunked by national and local election officials.

Republican Senate candidate Don Bolduc now says President Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential race legitimately. Bolduc has repeatedly – as recently as last month – told voters he believed Donald Trump was the rightful winner of that election.

“People live and learn,” Bolduc said during an appearance on Fox News Thursday, explaining his changed view of the election.

“I’ve done a lot of research on this and I have spent the past couple of weeks talking to Granite Staters all over the state, from every party, and I have come to the conclusion, and I want to be definitive about this, that the election was not stolen,” Bolduc said.

Bolduc added he does still think the 2020 election was marred by fraud. Repeated investigations into the election have found no evidence of widespread fraud.

Bolduc has made repeated claims that the 2020 election was stolen over the course of his Senate campaign. In May of 2021, Bolduc was among 125 former top military officials who signed a lettersuggesting the 2020 election was stolen.

“The FBI and Supreme Court must act swiftly when election irregularities are surfaced and not ignore them as was done in 2020,” the letter said. “Without fair and honest elections that accurately reflect the ‘will of the people’ our Constitutional Republic is lost.”

Last month, during two separate debates, Bolduc reaffirmed his support for the letter and its claims.

“I signed a letter with 120 other Generals and Admirals, saying that Trump won the election, and damn it, I stand by my oath,” Bolduc said to a cheering crowd at a debate hosted by the far right Government Integrity Project. “I’m not switching horses, baby.”

Two days later, Bolduc made a similar claim during a debate on Binnie Media’s Good Morning New Hampshire.

“I will tell you that I signed a letter with 124 admirals and generals that stipulated, I believed, that the election had fraud and that I concurred with President Trump's assessment of it. And I do not change my mind on that.” Bolduc stated.

In a statement Thursday, the campaign of Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan, who is facing Bolduc in the November election, questioned Bolduc’s change of heart regarding 2020.

“Don Bolduc has spent the entire campaign touting the Big Lie, and he can’t hide from that record,” said Hassan spokesperson Kevin Donohoe. “A word salad on Fox will not erase his record of election denial.”

Josh has worked at NHPR since 2000.
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