Manchester, New Hampshire — Before former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley took the stage at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club in Milford, New Hampshire, in early January, two state Republicans who had openly quarreled a year earlier over whether the 2020 election had been stolen from former President Donald Trump rallied the crowd in her support.
Retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, a veteran of 10 tours in Afghanistan and one of Haley's first endorsements, was the first to speak, touted Haley's support of his failed 2022 Senate run and explained why he signed on to be her New Hampshire campaign chair.
"She was a mentor to me, and I realized I was making a lot of mistakes," Bolduc admitted to the audience of over 700. "It was made clear by a lot of people while I was running, 'The guy's not a politician.'"
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu endorsed Haley in mid-December and has taken her around the state in hopes of defeating Trump in the state's first-in-the-nation primary on Jan. 23.
"As the general said, [Haley is] the opportunity to get behind a candidate that unifies everybody together, that next generation of conservative leadership," Sununu told the crowd packed onto the basketball court in the athletic club.
New Hampshire's open primary allows undeclared voters, who make up about 40% of the state's voting bloc, to participate in either party's primary election. It means Haley's path to victory depends on her appeal to that group, as well as the state's conservative base, which makes up about 30% of registered voters in New Hampshire.
A seminal moment in Bolduc's 2022 race was his flip-flop over whether he believed the election had been stolen from Trump, an opinion shared by 19 other 2022 GOP Senate candidates, according to a CBS News analysis.
"I signed a letter with 120 other generals and admirals saying that Donald Trump won the election and, damn it, I stand by [it], Bolduc said in an August 2022 debate against Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan.
"I'm not switching horses, baby. This is it," he added.
But weeks later, Bolduc backtracked, saying on Fox News that after he had "done a lot of research," he had come to the "definitive" conclusion that "the election was not stolen," though he claimed there was still fraud.
Haley's Support for Election Deniers
In a recent interview, Haley expressed her support for candidates who denied the results of the 2020 election. However, her comments have been inconsistent.
During a 2022 interview with the "Today" show, Haley stated that she would not campaign for candidates who denied the election results. She claimed that everyone she supported acknowledged the legitimacy of the elections.
Contrary to her statement, Haley campaigned for Bolduc both before and after he made remarks claiming that Trump had won the election. She also endorsed and campaigned for other GOP Senate candidates who cast doubt on the 2020 election results, including Adam Laxalt, Herschel Walker, Mehmet Oz, and Ted Budd. Only Budd emerged victorious in his race.
Sununu, on the other hand, was a vocal critic of Bolduc, referring to him as a "conspiracy-theorist-type candidate." In the Senate Republican primary, Sununu supported Bolduc's challenger, Chuck Morse.
However, after Bolduc won the primary, Sununu eventually changed his stance and supported him in the general election. Bolduc referred to Sununu as a "Chinese Communist sympathizer" during the campaign, but they both agreed to put their differences aside for the greater good.
"Governor Sununu and I agreed that the comments we made about the 2022 race were put to bed at the Republican breakfast after the [2022] primary," Bolduc stated in a text message to CBS News. "We both agreed that campaigns get sporty, things get said, and when the dust settles we must unite for the greater good."
Haley Campaign Gains Endorsements from Sununu and Bolduc
The Haley campaign has received endorsements from two prominent figures, Governor Chris Sununu and General Don Bolduc. Both men have shown their support for Haley in separate ads, highlighting her appeal to both independents and Republicans.
Sununu, a popular governor who recently won reelection in 2022, secured victories in traditionally Democratic areas as well as Republican-leaning parts of the state. His endorsement carries weight and may help sway voters in Haley's favor.
Meanwhile, Bolduc's involvement in Haley's campaign comes with some risks. The Haley campaign conducted a poll to gauge Bolduc's favorability among GOP primary voters, suggesting concerns about his appeal, particularly to independents.
Despite these concerns, Haley remains confident in her ability to bring together a diverse coalition of supporters. She has emphasized the need for a national "consensus" on abortion while also promising not to judge those who support abortion rights.
In the 2016 GOP primary, Trump emerged as the winner in New Hampshire, although he ultimately lost the state in the general election by a narrow margin. President Biden secured a more decisive victory in the state in 2020. Recent polls show Trump leading in the GOP primary this year, but both Bolduc and Sununu hope to appeal to voters across the state and present themselves as a unifying nominee.
Only time will tell if Bolduc's involvement will have a positive or negative impact on Haley's campaign. For now, Haley's team is focused on building a strong coalition of supporters and making a compelling case to voters.
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"Nikki is winning over Granite State voters of all sorts, from former Trump supporters to grassroots Republicans to Independents. That's the winning formula for beating Joe Biden in a landslide, which is what all the polls show she will do," a Haley spokesperson told CBS News.
Trump's campaign declined to comment on the dynamic between Bolduc and Sununu.
"Like Nikki, I believe that President Trump was the right president in 2016. I also supported Trump in 2020," Bolduc told CBS News. "Unfortunately, President Trump over the last four years has not moved forward and has become more divisive. He is incapable of doing the most important thing for all Americans and that is uniting the country."
"If America does not unify, we will destroy ourselves from within," Bolduc warned, calling on far-right Republicans, moderates, and further-left Democrats to come together to support her. "We must come together for the future of our children and grandchildren."
