It’s been a decade since a Democrat was elected governor in New Hampshire. In less than two months, Democratic voters will head to the polls to select a nominee who hopes to break that drought. The party’s primary ballot includes two candidates who share similar policy positions and point to their political resumes as proof of their ability to lead, while a third candidate is touting his outsider record.
The candidate who began this campaign with the longest political resume is Joyce Craig, who served on the Manchester school board and board of aldermen, before winning three terms as mayor, making her the first woman to hold the seat. For years, that positioned Craig as a potential candidate for the governor’s office, and something she frames on the campaign trail as a strength.
“The work that I have done has made a positive impact – not only of residents in Manchester, but throughout our state,” Craig told reporters after formally filing her candidacy. “And as the mayor of Manchester, I have first hand experience of the challenges that our hard working families are facing throughout our state.”
That theme — that she’s an executive ready to lead — is also making its way into her ads.
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But leading the state’s biggest city is something of a mixed political bag for the 57-year old Craig. Voters replaced her with a Republican last year, and the Queen City’s downtown is largely perceived as struggling with homelessness and the opioid crisis.
At a recent Democratic Party phone banking event on behalf of President Biden, though, Dottie Fannon, a Manchester resident, gave Craig high marks for her time leading the city.
Jon Kiper, a restaurateur from Newmarket, is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor.
“I know she did a good job as mayor of Manchester, so I’m looking to vote for Joyce,” said Fannon.
Craig’s main competitor in the Democratic primary is Cinde Warmington of Concord, a 66-year old lawyer with deep ties to the New Hampshire Democratic Party, now serving in her second term on the state’s Executive Council.
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Gov. Chris Sununu and Warmington now sit at the same table during the council’s public meetings and as the lone Democratic, the setting allows Warmington to go “toe-to-toe” with the Republican governor, she says.
Warmington has sparred with Sununu about his decision to use taxpayer money to send New Hampshire National Guard troops to the southern border, and she frequently has tense exchanges with Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut.
The council approves contracts, judges and appointments to top state jobs — it doesn’t make laws — but as Warmington sees it, it’s a place to advocate for her preferred policies.
“Standing up for everything that is important to us: reproductive freedom, public schools, the environment, affordable housing, you name it,” Warmington said during an interview.
Marge Gruzen of Exeter, who was also at the Biden phone banking event, says she’s impressed by what she’s seen of Warmington, but still doesn’t know who she’ll vote for.
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“People are tired of career politicians. They’re tired of voting for lobbyists and landlords and lawyers.” —Jon Kiper, owner of Jonny Boston’s restaurant in Newmarket
“I’ve heard Warmington speak. I haven’t been in a situation where I’ve heard Joyce Craig speak. I just want to hear her so I can compare,” she said.
Voters like Gruzen will likely make their decisions based on performance and pedigree, and not policy issues, as there isn’t much obvious difference between Craig and Warmington. Both are leading with their support for abortion rights and affordable housing.
But there is an emerging difference in the way the candidates are willing to interact in the public sphere.
An NHPR reporter was recently invited to attend an interfaith event put on by the Granite State Organizing Project, but before the forum began, was asked by Craig’s campaign staff to leave the church basement.
“It’s weird to run for office and not want to have any press, or have anybody hear what your ideas are in the public,” Pastor John Hopkins, one of the hosts, said of the campaign’s request.
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One question Warmington has had to face in public is about her past work as a State House lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. In 2002 while testifying before lawmakers, Warmington called the highly addictive opioid a “medical breakthrough” and a “miracle drug for many patients.” Critics said that lobbying work disqualifies herfrom running to lead the state.
Warmington, for her part, calls criticism of her past work for Purdue misguided and outdated.
“It was 22 years ago, long before the lies of Purdue were known,” she said.
The third candidate in the race, Jon Kiper, is the owner of Jonny Boston’s International, a burger spot in Newmarket. Kiper, 41, doesn’t have the political profile of his two competitors, and proudly so.
“That right there is going to set me apart,” he previously told reporters. “People are tired of career politicians. They’re tired of voting for lobbyists and landlords and lawyers. And frankly, people trust me because I’m a working class person.”
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All three candidates will spend the next two months hustling to get their message out, convincing party faithful they’re the best one to take on the Republicans.
A former New Hampshire state representative was sentenced to more than 33 years in prison for involvement in a child exploitation case — almost double the mandatory minimum.
Stacie Marie Laughton, 42, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children after soliciting and receiving nude photos of three toddlers from an ex-girlfriend who worked at a daycare.
Lindsay Groves, 41, of Hudson, N.H., was sentenced to almost 22 years in prison earlier this month after pleading guilty to the same charges as well as an additional count of distribution of child pornography.
According to court documents, Groves took the photos of the victims in 2023 at Creative Minds daycare in Tyngsboro, where she was a teacher, during designated bathroom breaks and nap times.
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She then sent the photos to Laughton, who requested the images and asked that Grove touch one of the minor’s genitals. In the conversation included in the records, the pair sexualizes the victims.
“Did the girl give you an issue,” Laughton texted after receiving the photos.
“No… the boy didn’t either,” Groves texted back.
In a sentencing memorandum, Laughton’s counsel had argued that she should receive a shorter sentence than Groves and asked for the minimum mandatory sentence, which would have 15 years for each count to be served concurrently.
“Stacie Laughton is a complex 42-year-old woman,” the memo said, noting that she was the first openly transgender woman to be elected to the New Hampshire legislature.
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The filing described Laughton’s history of mental health, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and trauma as mitigating factors the judge should consider.
“One of the few consistencies in Ms. Laughton’s life is her challenges with mental health illnesses,” the memo said. “She began receiving mental health treatment at the age of four and has been in and out of extensive treatment programs ever since.”
The death of Laughton’s wife in 2020 and a tumultuous relationship with Groves also added to her mental health struggles, the memo said, stating that the defendant drank every day and had tried heroin for the first time leading up to her arrest.
A doctor quoted in the filing said that Laughton likely had a low IQ, tied in part to her premature birth, as well as “normal sexual interests.”
“This finding shows both how caught up Ms. Laughton was in her relationship with Groves that she participated in activity counter to this and is … an important factor in considering whether Ms. Laughton would be a future threat upon release,” the memo said.
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The filing described Laughton’s actions as “horrendous, reprehensible, and shocking,” but said that even though the crimes were “utterly inexcusable,” she should still receive a shorter sentence than her codefendant out of a sense of justice.
However, in their own sentencing memo, federal prosecutors requested Laughton receive 40 years in prison.
“These crimes only came to light when Laughton reported them in an apparent attempt to punish Groves for ending their relationship,” prosecutors wrote. “The defendant, of course, did not disclose her own role in the creation of the imagery.”
“She ultimately admitted that she told Groves to touch one child’s penis, and claimed that she was feeding Groves’s attraction to children,” their memo said.
The prosecutors said that Laughton’s voice was the “more prominent one” in the conversation about exploiting children.
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In addition to her prison sentence, Laughton will also serve five years of supervised release.
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement that she felt the sentence fit the crime.
“The victims in this case were toddlers – children who were not yet old enough to care for themselves and, in some cases, not even fully verbal. Everyone who learns about the conduct in this case should be outraged,” United States Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement. “The sentences imposed reflect the depravity of the conduct and the seriousness of the crimes. My office will seek the most serious charges and the stiffest sentences for anyone who preys on children.”
Three people suffered injuries in a two-vehicle collision early Tuesday morning in Hooksett, New Hampshire.Courtesy of New Hampshore State
Three people suffered serious injuries Tuesday in a two-vehicle crash in Hooksett, N.H., police said.
The head-on collision happened around 5:40 a.m. on Interstate 293 northbound, State Police said.
Police said that Timothy Hubbard, 43, of Rome, Maine, was traveling south when he lost control of his car and crossed the median into oncoming traffic, police said.
Hubbard, his passenger, and the other driver were taken to hospitals to be treated for serious injuries, police said. The injures were not believed to be life-threatening.
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Police said speed was believed to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation.
Hannah Goeke can be reached at hannah.goeke@globe.com.
Franklin, NH – Sara Jane (Sanford) Doherty, 79, of Franklin, New Hampshire, passed away peacefully at her home on June 11, 2026. A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, Sara was born on June 5, 1947, in Hanover, New Hampshire, to Harold and Sadie (Pettengill) Sanford.
As the daughter of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employee, Sara spent her childhood moving throughout New England, living in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. She graduated from high school in Hudson, Massachusetts, and later returned to New Hampshire, eventually settling in Franklin, where she made her home for more than forty years.
Sara built a successful career in the textile industry. She worked as a seamstress at Howland Originals before joining Star Specialty Knitting, where she began as a stitcher and, through hard work and determination, advanced to Plant Manager. She retired in 2003, and one of the greatest joys of her retirement was caring for several of her grandchildren, whom she adored.
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Sara was a remarkably talented and creative artisan. She sewed clothing for her children when they were young and later created outfits for her grandchildren and their dolls. She was a gifted painter and artist whose extraordinary drawings and paintings brought joy to those around her. An accomplished seamstress, knitter, crocheter, cake decorator, and musician, Sara had an exceptional ability to create beauty in many forms. Her handmade gifts and treasured creations will be cherished by her family for generations to come.
Her talent for cake decorating blossomed into a successful side business that spanned more than thirty years. Sara created hundreds of stunning and imaginative cakes, including wedding and birthday cakes for her own children and grandchildren. Her passion for baking was so well known that for many years her license plate proudly read “CAKES+.”
Sara also had a remarkable gift for bringing people together. She hosted countless family reunions, each one more creative than the last. With elaborate themes, games, prizes, delicious food, and endless laughter, she created memories that her family will treasure forever. She was also known for her generous holiday gatherings, often welcoming more than thirty family members and friends into her home for Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. Summers brought cherished Fourth of July cookouts by Webster Lake, where Sara delighted in decorating the waterfront and gathering loved ones to enjoy the annual boat parade.
Sara’s love of giraffes was known by all who knew her. She spent years collecting hundreds of them, giving each a special “G” name. Before her passing, she shared one of her favorites, “Geebri,” with her granddaughter Sydni, who is expecting Sara’s first great-grandchild.
Her warmth, creativity, generosity, and love of family touched everyone who knew her. To say she will be missed is a vast understatement. She was truly the heart of her family.
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Sara leaves behind her devoted husband of 43 years, Joel Doherty; her sons, Todd (Michelle) Chapman of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, and Paul (Cheryl) Chapman of Northfield, New Hampshire; her stepdaughters, Ali (Oliver) Frates of Amherst, New Hampshire, and Kate Hodge of Durham, New Hampshire; and her beloved grandchildren, Shelby, Sydni, Morgan, Owen, Duncan, Calum, Macy, and Elyse, and Step-grandchildren, Matthew, Jennifer, Eric, & Kevin.
Sara was predeceased by her parents.
Sara’s family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to Franklin VNA for their rapid and seamless response in setting up hospice, and to The Payson Center for their dedication and care, which gave us more precious time with her.
A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 11:00 AM in Franklin Cemetery, Thompson Park in Franklin.
For more information or to leave the family an online condolence, please visit www.smartmemorialhome.com.
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Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes
