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.

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.

“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.

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.

“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.

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.”

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.

Biden supporter and former N.H. Democratic Party chair Kathy Sullivan.

 “Suck it up, Buttercup.” — Former NHDP chairwoman Kathy Sullivan, to New Hampshire Democrats complaining Joe Biden shouldn’t be their nominee after watching his disastrous debate performance.

Bad news, “Buttercup.” If you’re a New Hampshire Democrat, the sucking has just begun.

Think about it: You woke up Sunday morning with Joe Biden as your presumptive nominee, your ears still ringing with assurances from U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan and state Sen. Donna Soucy that “Dark Brandon” was rock solid for another four years.

But by the time you went to bed Sunday night, Biden was out, Vice President Kamala Harris was in, and your convention delegates were already pledged to the Veep in the upcoming “open primary.”

Whether you liked it or not. Not that New Hampshire Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley or Democrat lackey Kathy Sullivan care what you like.

In a WMUR news story time stamped 9:16 pm, Buckley assured Democratic primary voters that the awarding of convention delegates “is going to be a process. And [Harris] will earn the votes of the delegates.”

Two hours later, another WMUR story: “New Hampshire Democratic Pledged Delegates Unanimously Endorse VP Harris.”

Wow. That’s some “process.”

The political realities are such that Harris is almost certain to be the Democratic nominee, for good or ill. But how did it come to this? Granite State Democratic primary voters being declared supporters of Kamala Harris without being asked?

New Hampshire Democrats are now on the hook for the same Kamala Harris who blew them off in the 2020 First in the Nation primary. She thought so little of the Granite State, she didn’t even bother to show up at the Secretary of State’s office to file her paperwork.

During her rare visits to the Granite State that year, Harris repeatedly suggested that race was a factor in her failure to gain traction. She even found a racial “inference” in local reporters asking how often she would be campaigning in New Hampshire (answer: not very.)

By the way, when Harris completely bailed on New Hampshire in October 2019 to plant her flag in Iowa, she was at three percent in Hawkeye State polls. After a month of non-stop barnstorming through corn country, she had soared to 3.3 percent. What a political talent!

But hey — suck it up, Buttercup. Just like you did for Biden during the First in the Nation primary fiasco.

Once again, what was the average New Hampshire Democrat thinking as they went to the polls to write in the name of a politician who said their primary was too racially suspect for him to participate in?

At the time, Democrats were told they had to do it to help Joe Biden defeat Donald Trump. What you Democrats didn’t know — but Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Rep. Chris Pappas, Buckley and the gang did –was that Biden was too old and infirm to be part of a traditional New Hampshire-style, retail politics primary. With a guaranteed win waiting in South Carolina, Biden just had to avoid being embarrassed. The calendar made it all but impossible for a viable candidate to enter with a serious shot at winning.

New Hampshire Democrats did the work of organizing a write-in campaign, while Biden got to hang out at his Delaware beach house. Nobody had to watch him struggle with the stairs at the Exeter Town Hall.

The “Hiden’ Biden” strategy worked — until it didn’t. After the debate debacle, Biden couldn’t hide it anymore. And what did Democratic leaders say?

“Suck it up, buttercup!” Having been deceived about the depths of Biden’s health issues, it was your duty to stick with him — cringe-inducing press conferences be damned.

Only when it became apparent Biden was going to lose in November did Pelosi and Co. grab their political crowbars and pry him out of the race.

Now the same geniuses who got Democrats to this point have found the way forward. It’s Kamala or bust!

What sort of candidate will Harris be? Who knows? She didn’t have to campaign to get this nomination. It’s being handed to her right now.

Some smart political observers say she’s actually improved over the past three years, that Republicans expecting her to run as “Coconut Tree Word Salad” are in for a rude awakening.

Others in D.C. are recycling a joke they used to use about another less-than-impressive vice president. “Dan Quayle is smarter than you think — but not by much.”

Whatever sort of candidate she turns out to be, New Hampshire Democrats have their marching orders.

Right, Buttercup?

Arts & Entertainment

Here is a quick roundup of what is happening around the Granite State this week.

Posted Sun, Jul 21, 2024 at 6:20 pm ET

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