The mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, announced Monday she would explore a campaign against the state’s thrice re-elected Republican governor as the latter apparently mulls a run at the White House.
Democrat Joyce Craig, first elected as the mayor of the Granite State’s Queen City in 2017, said through a campaign email she has formed an exploratory committee aimed at the New Hampshire State House for 2024, when Gov. Chris Sununu will potentially find himself in the middle of a race toward Washington.
“As I’ve had discussions with local leaders across New Hampshire, it is increasingly clear that the same challenges we’re working to tackle in Manchester are seen in communities across the state” Craig said along with her announcement. “As a Mayor, I’ve collaborated with mayors and town and city officials to address these challenges – and we’ve made real progress. But there is a lack of support for cities and towns at the state level and I know we can do better.”
Sununu, whose political action committee did not respond to a request for comment, won a historic fourth term as New Hampshire’s governor last year in a general election which did not go well for other statewide Republican candidates.
The son of a former governor and White House Chief of Staff, Sununu won re-election despite not courting the endorsement of the dominant voice in Republican politics, former President Donald Trump, and is widely rumored to be exploring a campaign against the 45th President.
The current governor’s potential run for the Republican presidential nomination is not the impetus for Craig’s gubernatorial explorations, a campaign spokesperson told the Herald.
Craig’s announcement comes on the heels of a weekend prediction by the state’s first woman governor, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, that Manchester’s chief executive would soon launch a campaign to put the state back in the hands of a woman.
Craig, a New Hampshire native, UNH alumna and mom of three, is the first woman to lead New Hampshire’s largest city.
The Mayor’s committee announcement came along with endorsements from former four-term Gov. John Lynch, a former Democratic state party chair and the co-founder of Stonyfield Organic, among others.
“Joyce’s leadership in Manchester and across the state make her the most well-prepared candidate to serve as our next Governor, and her record as a winner in tough elections proves she can put together a winning campaign. Joyce has the vision, skills, and dedication to be an outstanding Governor for the people of New Hampshire,” Lynch said in a written statement.