The 2022 election season is officially here. Now the question is not whether Republicans will win, but how large the red wave might be. The results of last week’s election coupled with Joe Biden’s cratering approval ratings point to a very favorable environment for the GOP.
The shift in public sentiment in the past year has put the Senate back into play. New Hampshire is the race that will decide the outcome. Maggie Hassan, Democrat, is not popular. She hasn’t been doing well in recent polls. She’s fared especially poorly when pitted against current New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. This led to speculation about Sununu running against Hassan. It was actually a simple move that he made.
Unfortunately, he’s decided to stay in New Hampshire, and that has Democrats breathing a huge sigh of relief. This morning, he made the announcement.
Jetzt: Go! @ChrisSununuIS IT RUNNING FOR A TERM 4? #nhpolitics #WMUR
— John DiStaso (@jdistaso) November 9, 2021
This doesn’t mean Republicans can’t still retake the Senate, but it makes things more difficult. It would have been an important win in New Hampshire that allowed for losses in Nevada, Arizona and Georgia. Now, the path gets narrower if they can’t pull off a pickup in the Granite State.
There is still a way to put a positive spin on it. Hassan has done enough to be defeated by another Republican, even though Sununu is almost certain the winner. The GOP needs to put money into the race, find a good candidate to back, and go all out regardless of Sununu’s announcement. There is no way to leave anything undone before 2022. If the Republican party had invested in New Jersey, deep blue New Jersey might have elected a Republican governor.
If you are a Democrat, Sununu’s victory in this race is a good thing. It’s not going to make the coming pain of 2022 go away completely, but if Democrats can hang onto a 50/50 Senate, it might soften the blow just a little bit and allow Biden to keep the destruction coming. Republicans must start to regroup and be able to win the Senate back. Democrat-held seats in Nevada and Arizona are especially vulnerable, and there’s no reason to think the GOP can’t compete in Georgia either. Do nothing, assume everything.
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