An alleged murder in Manchester, New Hampshire, over the weekend has renewed fears that Democrat Sen. Maggie Hassan’s (D-NH) soft-on-crime policies could further reduce her chances of defeating Republican Gen. Don Bolduc on November 8.
Several reports confirmed a man was gunned down in broad daylight on Saturday outside the Mall of Manchester. Police arrested the alleged shooter, Tyrese Harris, 22, from Manchester. He was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly shooting Dzemal Cardakovic, 45, in the head in what appears to be a road rage crime.
It is not Harris’ first encounter with law enforcement, according to reports.
Cardakovic’s daughter Jasmina Cardakovic, 19, told WMUR ABC after the incident that she will miss her father. “He loved to just show us everything he knew,” Jasmina Cardakovic said. “That’s where I got my love for cars, that’s why I wanted to go into the automotive industry.”
The alleged murder is a tragic incident for the victim’s family and an all-too-common theme during the midterm campaign season in which Democrats possess soft-on-crime records.
In New Hampshire’s Senate race, Hassan’s record of voting to allow felons to receive coronavirus stimulus checks is a major campaign issue. Two days before the alleged murder, Republicans sent out a direct mail piece ripping Hassan for being the fiftieth vote to block a GOP amendment to prevent the checks from being sent to felons.
It is true Hassan provided the 50th vote to kill a GOP amendment stopping those checks for felons. But the visual is heavy on crime and light on spending. The flyer is one of about a dozen similar mailers with the same anti-spending text and strong anti-crime visuals.
“Maggie Hassan and DC liberals voted to allow nearly $1 billion in taxpayer funded stimulus to go to criminals,” the ad reads.
On Friday, Gen. Bolduc tweeted a new TV ad highlighting Hassan’s lawless, open border policies. “Here’s the deal: The election is between two very different candidates. @SenatorHassan has stood by @JoeBiden. I will stand up for law and order policies, secure our border and tackle the skyrocketing inflation that is crushing Granite Staters.”
In April, Hassan voted against Republican efforts to force a vote on an amendment to a coronavirus bill to reinstate Title 42 restrictions. She has refused to oppose the Biden administration’s “catch and release” illegal immigration policy and has opposed former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy, which President Joe Biden ended.
Recent polling shows Bolduc is virtually tied with Hassan, despite being outspent by $9 million, according to third quarter campaign totals. New Hampshire is one of eight swing states that will determine which party controls the Senate.
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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