New Hampshire voters close out 'candidate quality' primaries: The Note

The TAKE with Rick Klein

The "first-in-the-nation" state is going last in the primaries for Congress this year. But the outcomes could matter every bit as much as they normally do in a presidential year.

New Hampshire -- one of three states voting Tuesday in the final primaries of 2022 -- offers a range of familiar storylines: establishment versus MAGA showdowns, Democrats hoping to hang on in a tough environment and more Democratic meddling in GOP primaries to boost candidates perceived as weaker.

Ultimately, voting in New Hampshire will mark the latest and among the most important chapter in the long-running debate inside the GOP over what Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has called "candidate quality."

In part because of how that's played out in other states, the race to take on Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., has become vital to GOP Senate hopes. So it is that the showdown between MAGA-favored, election-denying retired Gen. Don Bolduc and state Senate President Chuck Morse has the primary season ending much as it started half a year ago.

Former President Donald Trump did not officially endorse in the race, but Gov. Chris Sununu -- widely seen as the strongest GOP candidate himself if he had run for Senate -- backed Morse. While Sununu has called Bolduc "not a serious candidate" and a "conspiracy theorist type," he nonetheless said on the eve of voting that he would support him if he wins the primary.

The Granite State tends to catch congressional waves in either direction. Some of the swingiest House and Senate seats could come down to whether voters agree with elected leaders and pundits on what types of candidates are best for Republicans to put forward.

The RUNDOWN with Averi Harper

In Arizona, it looks like voters won't get to hear gubernatorial candidates argue their cases head-to-head before they visit the polls.

This after Democratic candidate and current Arizona Attorney General Katie Hobbs declined to participate with Republican nominee Kari Lake, who espouses lies about the 2020 election.

"Unfortunately, debating a conspiracy theorist like Kari Lake -- whose entire campaign platform is to cause enormous chaos and make Arizona the subject of national ridicule -- would only lead to constant interruptions, pointless distractions and childish name-calling," campaign manager Nicole DeMont said in a statement.

"It's becoming clearer everyday [sic] that Hobbs' strategy is to hide from Me, the Press, and the Voters throughout the entirety of this campaign and run out the clock on the people of Arizona," Lake said via Twitter.

This election cycle, the fate of political debates is more uncertain than ever with candidates on both sides of the aisle shying away from what was once a standard for campaigns. Debates are up in the air in battleground states such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Georgia.

In instances where candidates don't debate, the voters lose an opportunity to hear them answer tough questions. It means voters will have fewer tools to make that all-important decision at the ballot box. The increasing number of debate-less races is also an indicator of this polarized moment in American politics where vying for undecided voters is less en vogue than appealing to one's base.

The TIP with Alisa Wiersema

Sens. Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin and Susan Collins from Maine are heading into this week hoping to rally at least 10 Republicans to overcome a filibuster and vote in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which seeks to enshrine same-sex marriage. Although final votes on the legislation are expected next week, the issue is surfacing among some Republicans on the campaign trail.

As first reported by The Washington Post, more than 400 Republican officials have signed a letter in support of the bill -- including Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz. Oz has expressed his support for the legislation throughout the summer, since its passage in the House, although the issue of same-sex marriage is not listed on his campaign website as one of the top policy issues he aims to pursue.

"Dr. Mehmet Oz believes that same-sex couples should have the same freedom to get married as straight couples and he was proud to join this effort," Brittany Yanick, a campaign spokeswoman, told ABC News in a statement.

The sentiment is not shared by all Republicans facing competitive Senate races this fall. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio has criticized the legislation as a "waste of time" and branded it an effort by Democrats to shore up support ahead of the midterms.

"People have different views on that issue. But... There's not a single state in the country, not one, trying to pass a law to challenge that. There's not a single case working its way up the courts. Not one and yet... the Senate leadership from the Democrats is going to prioritize [it] as a vote," Rubio said during a conservative conference on Monday.

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson is also under the microscope for his upcoming vote, after appearing to reverse his stance by first saying he saw no reason to oppose it, and, more recently, saying he wouldn't support the legislation in its current form due to concerns over religious liberties.

"But at the same time, I don't want to see millions of lives disrupted either. To me, that was a ruling that was healed. Let it go, OK? Move on, OK? We've got enough problems, we've got enough things that divide this nation, let's not drag that back up," Johnson reportedly said in audio obtained by Heartland Signal earlier this month.

NUMBER OF THE DAY, powered by FiveThirtyEight

7. That's the number of Republicans running for House, Senate and governor in New Hampshire who have indicated publicly or to FiveThirtyEight that the 2020 presidential election was illegitimate. And the most notable Republican in this category might be retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, who could win the Senate GOP primary. Watch more from FiveThirtyEight's Nathaniel Rakich as he unpacks the Republicans running for office who have repeated former President Donald Trump's claim that he won the 2020 election.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. "Start Here" begins Tuesday morning with ABC's Maggie Rulli on Queen Elizabeth II's lying in state in London. Then, ABC's Elizabeth Schulze breaks down Visa's new gun store policy. And, ABC's Matt Gutman reports from Somalia on the looming famine crisis there. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back Wednesday for the latest.