Bolduc has been described by newspapers and wire services as far-right.[4] He initially endorsed the false
Stop the Steal conspiracy theory positing that the
2020 U.S. presidential election was rigged to favor
Joe Biden. He later acknowledged that the election was not stolen, stating that his previous positions were "political games".[5]
In June 2019, Bolduc entered the
2020 United States Senate election in New Hampshire, seeking the Republican nomination to run against incumbent Democratic senator
Jeanne Shaheen. He lost the Republican primary to Corky Messner, who was endorsed by then-President
Donald Trump.[16] During the election campaign, Bolduc ran a television ad attacking Democrats as "a bunch of liberal,
socialistpansies", a remark perceived as being
homophobic.[17]
After the 2020 election, Bolduc closely tied himself to Trump.[18] In February 2021, he announced that he would run for Senate again in the
2022 election,[19] hoping to challenge Democratic incumbent Senator
Maggie Hassan.[20] In the Republican primary, he ran against
Chuck Morse, the
New Hampshire State Senate president. Bolduc sought endorsement by Trump, who made no endorsement in the primary[21][22] but praised Bolduc as a "strong guy, tough guy".[21] On September 14, Bolduc defeated Morse and won the Republican primary election.[23]
Accusations against Chris Sununu
After
Chris Sununu announced in November 2021 that he would seek
reelection as governor and would not run for U.S. Senate—an announcement that was viewed as a setback for the Republicans' hopes of winning Hassan's seat[18][24]—Bolduc gave a
conspiracy-filled interview on
conservative talk radio in which he denounced Sununu, a fellow Republican, as a "
Chinese Communist sympathizer" and claimed that Sununu's business "supports
terrorism".[18][25] Sununu has described Bolduc as "not a serious candidate" and a "conspiracy-theorist extremist"; Sununu endorsed Bolduc's primary rival,
Chuck Morse.[26][27] However, Sununu endorsed Bolduc for the general election.[28]
Bolduc is a
2020 presidential election denier.[27] He endorsed
Donald Trump's false claim[37][38][39] that the 2020 presidential election was rigged to favor
Joe Biden. In May 2021, Bolduc was one of 124 retired generals and admirals who signed an open letter promoting the lie that the presidential election was "rigged" in Biden's favor.[40] Throughout his campaign for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate, Bolduc continued to promote the false claim that the election was stolen and that Trump actually won; in an August 2022 primary debate, he said of his signing the May 2021 letter: "damn it, I stand by [it]".[41]
Following the
January 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol in the final weeks of Trump's presidency, General
Mark Milley,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reportedly telephoned his Chinese counterpart to assure him of the
strategic stability of the United States. In a September 2021 appearance on Fox & Friends, Bolduc criticized Milley, saying, "I believe his actions are irresponsible and they fall somewhere between treason and dereliction of duty."[42] Later that month, two days after winning the Republican primary, Bolduc softened his stance, saying, "I have come to the conclusion, and I want to be definitive on this, the election was not stolen." Although he acknowledged Biden as the legitimate president, Bolduc continued to promote his false claims that the election was marred by fraud.[43][44][45]
Bolduc has repeated
misinformation about COVID-19. He has falsely claimed that
COVID-19 vaccines are really "
Bill Gates saying we should put [micro]chips inside people" and asserted that the use of face masks to control the spread of the virus "cause[s] more problems than they solve".[50][51][52]
Foreign policy
In a February 2021
op-ed in USA Today, Bolduc criticized the Afghanistan Study Group recommendation urging a reversal on the scheduled
withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan. Bolduc urged the Biden administration to stick with the withdrawal deadline as set by the Trump administration.[53]
^
abSearcey, Dionne (October 7, 2016).
"A General's New Mission: Leading a Charge Against PTSD". New York Times. Retrieved August 24, 2021. When a bomb dropped on his position in Afghanistan in 2001 — a friendly fire accident — General Bolduc's hip was badly damaged. ... General Bolduc learned that not only did he suffer from PTSD, but he also had a bullet-size spot on his brain, an injury probably dating to his helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2005.
^Morang, Ralph (June 3, 2018).
"Army General Prefers Therapy, Not Medication". Foster's Daily Democrat. Retrieved August 24, 2021. combat veterans can have injuries that do not show: Post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries. Bolduc has both.
^Brufke, Juliegrace (August 19, 2022).
"Sununu Says Bolduc Is 'Not a Serious Candidate,' Won't Endorse Him". Washington Examiner. Retrieved September 13, 2022. Bolduc came under fire in 2020 for railing against masks during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and baselessly alleging that vaccines are 'Bill Gates saying we should put chips inside people.'