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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8f680000Coverage of the 2016 races in New Hampshire, from the White House to the State House.

In Final Weeks of N.H. Governor's Race, Both Campaigns Sharpen Attacks

Jason Moon for NHPR

As the race to become New Hampshire’s next governor enters the home stretch, the rhetoric from both campaigns is growing more contentious.

At a forum hosted by the Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce Tuesday morning, Democrat Colin Van Ostern and Republican Chris Sununu stepped up their attacks on each other’s backgrounds.

Sununu accused Van Ostern of trying to hide his history working in politics, saying that the state needs a governor with ‘real experience.’

“I’ve worn through more steel-toe boots than Colin Van Ostern will ever wear, on construction sites. I’ve been out there. I’ve been in the workforce. That’s the type of firsthand, stakeholder experience our state really needs, not a paid political operative that is very good at campaigning and very good at twisting a message and apparently very good at avoiding questions.”

The Van Ostern campaign pushed back, citing Sununu’s own familial ties to politics and Washington, including what they call conflicts of interest involving his brother’s lobbying firm. They also criticized Sununu’s business record, saying his leadership at the Waterville Valley Ski Resort, where Sununu is general manager, has been a failure.

These tensions may come to a head Wednesday night, when the candidates will appear together for a live televised debate.

Jason Moon is a senior reporter and producer on the Document team. He has created longform narrative podcast series on topics ranging from unsolved murders, to presidential elections, to secret lists of police officers.
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