The GOP had a bruising election night on Tuesday but salvaged a win by grabbing the mayor's seat in New Hampshire's most populous city.
Republican Jay Ruais defeated Democrat Kevin Cavanaugh in the Manchester mayoral race after Democrat Joyce Craig had held the office for eight years. Ruais was victorious by fewer than 500 votes, making for a roughly 3-point margin of victory over his Democratic opponent.
THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM A ROUGH 2023 ELECTION FOR THE GOP
Thank you Manchester! Now let’s get to work! pic.twitter.com/VYprdirIL2
— Jay Ruais (@JayRuais) November 8, 2023
"Today, the voters of Manchester spoke and affirmed our message that Manchester has a great deal of promise, and in order to reach our full potential, we must bring our city together and tackle the challenges we have," Ruais said in a statement. "Now it is time to get to work on achieving our full potential."
Craig congratulated Ruais on his "well-earned" victory as she leaves office in January to run for governor of the Granite State next year.
Congratulations to Mayor-Elect Jay Ruais on his well-earned victory. I spoke with Jay this evening and know he shares our dedication to making Manchester a stronger city for everyone. #NHPolitics
— Joyce Craig (@JoyceCraigNH) November 8, 2023
"Congratulations to Mayor-Elect Jay Ruais on his well-earned victory. I spoke with Jay this evening and know he shares our dedication to making Manchester a stronger city for everyone," Craig said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) congratulated his fellow Republican on the victory, saying that "better and brighter days" are ahead for Manchester.
Congratulations to @JayRuais on winning the election for Mayor of Manchester! People voted for strong, new leadership and Jay will deliver. With Mayor Ruais, better and brighter days are ahead for the Queen City. https://t.co/tatgWRmpcR
— Chris Sununu (@ChrisSununu) November 8, 2023
"Congratulations to [Jay Ruais] on winning the election for Mayor of Manchester!" he said. "People voted for strong, new leadership and Jay will deliver. With Mayor Ruais, better and brighter days are ahead for the Queen City."
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Craig is running against state Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington in the Democratic gubernatorial primary next year, as Sununu has opted not to run for another term. On the GOP side of the gubernatorial race, former Sen. Kelly Ayotte and former New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse are also vying to succeed Sununu. As her current seat was flipped from Democratic to Republican, Craig will seek to flip the governor's mansion from Republican to Democratic.
The Manchester mayoral race was one of a few bright spots for Republicans in what proved to be a brutal election night in various states, such as Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio.