New Hampshire
Who could run to replace Chris Sununu as New Hampshire governor
With Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) stepping down as the Granite State’s governor after this term, eyes are already turning toward potential candidates for the coveted seat in 2024.
Sununu, who was first elected in 2016, announced on Wednesday he would not seek another term as New Hampshire’s governor. With the next gubernatorial election set for next year, both Democratic and Republican candidates are already lining up to take Sununu’s spot. Some are waiting to announce “big news” in the coming days.
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Here are the declared and potential candidates for New Hampshire governor.
Mary Schwalm/AP
Chuck Morse – Republican
Chuck Morse, former New Hampshire Republican Senate president, announced his bid for the GOP nomination for governor just minutes after Sununu announced his impending retirement.
Morse thanked Sununu for his work as the state’s executive and said he was “proud” to work with the governor to put together a “conservative, pro-jobs, pro-growth, family first economic agenda.”
“Year in and year out New Hampshire ranks among the best states to live in,” Morse tweeted. “It’s not an accident and it’s not luck either. It’s because we elect conservative[s] who get results. It’s what I did as Senate President and it’s what I’ll do as Governor.”
Morse represented New Hampshire’s 22nd state Senate district from 2010 until 2022, when he launched his bid for U.S. Senate. However, he lost the GOP primary to retired Army Brig. Gen. Don Bolduc, who eventually lost to incumbent Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) in the 2022 midterm elections.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
Kelly Ayotte – Republican
Former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte has not announced a bid for the governor’s seat. However, she said in a statement that she would have “big news” in the coming days.
Ayotte served as a senator from 2011 to 2017. Before that, she was New Hampshire’s first female attorney general, serving from 2004 to 2009.
The former senator said she was “grateful” to Sununu for his “hard work” as governor to “improve our quality of life and for always fighting for all Granite Staters.”
“Our next governor must be a tough and tested conservative who will fight to ensure that New Hampshire remains safe, prosperous, and free,” Ayotte said. “I look forward to announcing some big news in the coming days.”
Cinde Warmington – Democrat
Cinde Warmington, the only Democratic member of New Hampshire’s Executive Council, launched her campaign for governor last month.
She was elected to the council in 2020. Since then, she has been a vocal supporter of reproductive rights and calls herself the “last line of defense against Republican overreach and extremism.” Before serving on the Executive Council, she worked as an attorney.
Warmington said housing and workforce shortages, mental health, and the influx of fentanyl will be the focus of her campaign.
“Fundamentally, this campaign is about freedom. Freedom for women to make their own healthcare decisions, freedom for workers to earn fair wages, freedom for parents to send their kids to school without fear of gun violence. Freedom for small businesses, freedom for everyone to thrive,” Warmington said in an interview with local outlet WMUR News 9.
Cheryl Senter/AP
Joyce Craig – Democrat
Joyce Craig, mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, announced her bid for governor on July 11. She is already taking in some key Democratic endorsements, including one from Gov. Maura Healey (D-MA).
Craig explored a campaign for two months before she announced it. In that time frame, Craig said, she learned the state needs someone who can address local concerns.
“People are concerned about these statewide issues that are affecting our local communities, and as mayor of Manchester, I’ve been dealing with that firsthand for the last six years, and so we need a governor who understands the situation that is happening in local communities,” she said to WMUR News 9.
Republicans have already been quick to criticize her record in Manchester as the city struggles with homelessness and crime rates.
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The primary is not scheduled until Sept. 10, 2024, giving ample time for other candidates to launch campaigns.
The race between Craig and Warmington could be the most competitive Democratic primary that New Hampshire has seen in decades. Regardless, the Democratic Party is eager to flip the governor’s seat blue in a key swing state that is sure to be a deciding factor in the 2024 presidential election.