Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig has announced she will challenge four-term incumbent Republican New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu in 2024, setting her sights on a seat previously occupied by the state’s current pair of Democratic U.S. Senators.
Citing a need to protect reproductive care in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to end protections for abortion nationally, and promising to increase availability of affordable housing and create much needed jobs, Craig announced her candidacy to be the Granite State’s 83rd Governor on Tuesday and held her campaign launch in the Queen City Wednesday evening.
“The stakes in this election couldn’t be higher. If we’re going to defend reproductive freedom, invest in public education, and create opportunities for families across this state, we need a leader with a record of delivering results and winning tough elections,” the mayor said in announcing her candidacy.
According to Craig, her three terms as the first woman elected mayor of the state’s largest city give her the executive experience to lead the state, and her work there demonstrates she knows how to get results.
“As Mayor of Manchester, we’re addressing the needs of our community by bringing people together to get results for our residents and grow our city. We’ve added thousands of new jobs and hundreds of affordable housing units, decreased class sizes, increased teacher pay, and reduced violent crime by 38 percent – and we’ve sent a message that Granite Staters’ reproductive rights are not up for grabs,” she said.
Craig’s campaign notes her work in Manchester has “created thousands of jobs, decreased violent crime by 38%, is developing over 2,000 new housing units, reduced class sizes, and protected reproductive freedom by supporting the state’s largest Planned Parenthood, located in Manchester.”
Regardless of any success in her hometown, Craig has her work cut out for her in a statewide race.
Sununu, before declaring he would not make a run at the White House, was able to use the rumor of presidential aspirations to raise both his regional and national profile and is now a frequent figure on national cable news; and that’s help he didn’t even necessarily need among his own constituents, who have reelected him three times, the last time by more than 16-points.
The governor is often touted as a moderate Republican in an era of conservative extremism dominated by the cult of personality surrounding former President Donald Trump. Despite being a frequent critic of the 45th president, Sununu has somehow not suffered the same party excommunication experienced by other Republicans after turning their back on the twice-impeached one-time commander-in-chief.
There is also the open question of whether the Democratic National Committee’s thus far unsuccessful attempts to move the first primary will negatively impact voter turnout in the Granite State, both for the primary election — where President Joe Biden’s name may not appear on the ballot — and the general.
Still, in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned and while other New England states moved to protect access to abortion, Sununu and Republicans in New Hampshire did not, leaving the issue on the table for Craig to hammer home to voters from now until November of 2024.
“Instead of focusing on how to solve these challenges, our state is facing extreme threats from Republicans on access to abortion, attacks on the LGBTQ community, and even threats to our democracy. That’s what’s at stake this election,” she said Wednesday evening. “New Hampshire is the only state in New England that hasn’t codified Roe vs. Wade. We need to protect access to abortion, so my daughters, and every young woman in our state knows their rights aren’t up for grabs.”
The New Hampshire gubernatorial primary will be held on September 10, 2024, with the general election to follow on November 5. Craig will face New Hampshire Executive Council member Cinde Warmington in the primary.