The next race for New Hampshire governor may be more than a year away, but with Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig's entrance into the campaign, that contest — at least among Democrats — is already taking shape.
Craig and the other declared Democratic candidate, Concord Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, are both well-known to party activists. They’re both proven fundraisers and very much within their party’s ideological mainstream. But they bring very different resumes to a race that Democrats hope they can win for the first time since 2014.
While the Democratic primary appears set, the GOP side of the equation is very much in doubt.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has not yet said whether he’ll seek a record fifth term in the corner office; if he does run again, he’ll likely face no serious opposition.
But Sununu has indicated — as recently as last month — that his time in the governor’s office will draw to a close with this term. If that does end up being the case, a small crowd of Republicans will likely be waiting to take his place.
Here’s a breakdown of how the 2024 campaign for New Hampshire governor is shaping up so far.Cinde Warmington
Warmington is serving her second term on the Executive Council, representing District 2, which stretches north from New Hampshire’s southwestern tip to Grafton County and is the most Democratic-leaning district on the map.
As the council’s lone Democrat, Warmington has worked to check what she’s called Republican extremism on issues ranging from COVID policy and education, to abortion rights and contraception.
"I stood up for women to be free to make our own healthcare decisions,” Warmington emphasized in the video announcing her candidacy.
Warmington was first elected in 2020 after winning a crowded Democratic primary, and was re-elected easily in 2022.
Prior to joining the Executive Council, she was a partner at the law firm Shaheen & Gordon, where she specialized in healthcare law and her clients included pain clinics. Warmington has stressed the need for the state to do more to fight opioids and fentanyl addiction. But her work two decades ago, lobbying for Perdue Pharma, the maker of Oxycontin, has already been raised as a criticism in this race.Joyce Craig
Craig was elected mayor of Manchester in 2017, beating incumbent Republican Ted Gatsas. She’s won reelection twice, by comfortable margins. As she launched her campaign for governor this week, Craig stressed that the challenges she sees facing Manchester — including the need for better public schools, more affordable housing and broad access to abortion services — are ones faced acoss New Hampshire.
“Granite Staters deserve a governor that will partner with cities and towns to tackle our shared challenges and deliver for families,” Craig said.
Craig calls herself a “fourth generation Manchester” resident, and before becoming mayor served on Manchester’s Board of Aldermen and school board.
Her time leading Manchester has won Craig a diverse base of support, including from labor unions, immigrant leaders and former Democratic Gov. John Lynch.
“Joyce will do for New Hampshire what she has done for Manchester,” Lynch said at Craig’s campaign launch Wednesday.
Craig’s supporters cite statistics showing that the city’s economy and police force both grew on her watch, and that crime is down. But the perception that Manchester has significant problems, including persistent issues with homelessness and drug overdoses, is something Craig’s campaign will have to face — in this primary, and beyond, should she become the nominee.
The Republican field is still uncertain
Sununu’s plans are still not clear, but he’s indicated repeatedly that his fourth term as governor may be his last. Several high-profile Republicans will be ready to succeed him if that’s the case.
State Education Commission Frank Edelblut, who narrowly lost the 2016 Republican primary to Sununu, is one of them.
Edelblut’s record pushing school choice has made him very popular among conservatives — and a lightning rod for Democrats.
Edelblut’s personal wealth could also allow him to plow significant money into a 2024 campaign.
Former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte is also considering a run. She was New Hampshire attorney general under both Republican and Democratic governors. She won easy election to the Senate in 2010, but lost her reelection bid against Maggie Hassan in 2016 by just over 1,000 votes.
Ayotte has since made her living serving on corporate boards and consulting and has largely stayed out of the political limelight. But Ayotte has high name recognition and the ability to raise money, and she remains popular with the establishment wing of the GOP.
Former state Senate President Chuck Morse is also looking at a run. He was expected to run for governor in 2022, but when Sununu passed on a U.S. Senate run, Morse jumped into that race instead, losing in the primary to Don Bolduc.
