Friend,

I know you might have already seen it - but we have another update from our recent debate. We have a feeling you’ll be happy to hear this.

McClatchy reporter Dave Catanese released his "The Senate 6: July Rankings" analysis of the top six Senate races across the country, including New Hampshire's Republican Primary.
 

• "Kevin Smith, a 44-year-old town manager attempting to channel Glenn Youngkin’s aura, confronted Don Bolduc, a retired general, for comments he made on Fox News suggesting the U.S. needed to do more on the ground in Ukraine.
• Later, Smith went back to call out Bolduc’s general disposition.
• “I do have concerns about your temperament and the things you have said about Republicans in the past,” Smith said.
• Smith also sliced Chuck Morse, a state senator, for voting with Maggie Hassan during her tenure as the Granite State’s governor.
• “You fell in line with Maggie Hassan. You voted 99% yes on the bills she signed into law, over 1,000 of them, including expanding Obamacare here in the state of New Hampshire,” he charged.

• Morse, who is viewed as an early, albeit feeble GOP front-runner, simply due to his long tenure in the legislature, only responded to Smith haltingly.
• What was more jarring is how Morse ignored a theatrical onslaught by Bruce Fenton...Fenton literally shouted at Morse for being a “rubber stamp”...When Morse was offered a chance to respond, he demurred, “I’m fine.”
• I understand why Morse may feel like responding to Fenton would only legitimize and elevate the long-shot contender.
• But when anyone goes as hard at you as Fenton did, I believe merits a counterpunch. The interactions made Morse look weak, which likely benefits Bolduc and Smith, his main competitors.
• A Bolduc nomination would make Republicans uneasy, but Morse hasn’t lit a fire under his candidacy either.