With the latest 2024 New Hampshire Governor race preview at Election Yard, we feature a rarity this year: A true toss-up.
As of September 12, the date our preview video was released on YouTube, this was the only gubernatorial race out of 11 which we viewed as too close to call, or a toss-up to be technical. This includes the North Carolina governor’s race, which we think either tilts or leans Democratic. Not this one, for now.
New Hampshire has been led for the past eight years by Republican Chris Sununu, a four-term governor with a well-known family name in Granite State politics. This state, like Vermont next door, elects its governors to two-year terms. Nevertheless, Sununu winning and serving four terms is a rarity. John Lynch, a Democrat who served between 2005 and 2013, was the only other governor in the modern era to have eight years in office. Due to the shortness of terms in New Hampshire, eight years in office may seem common in other states, but it is more unprecedented in this one.
Back to the race in 2024, how do we see it?
2024 New Hampshire Governor Race Preview: 4 Minutes or Less
Here, we break down how we arrived at the major candidates for New Hampshire’s gubernatorial election. We also review some of the key issues about which the candidates are talking, and give our honest assessment of the things working in their favor (or to their detriment).
2024 New Hampshire Governor Race: Candidates
The links below are to candidate websites, if they are available. You are not required to click on any outside links on this website, and please only follow links you trust.
- Kelly Ayotte (R)
- Joyce Craig (D)
- Stephen Villee (Lbt)
- Edmond LaPlante (Cnst)
- Frank Staples (Write-in)
References
- As linked above, we referenced candidate positions from the websites of both Kelly Ayotte and Joyce Craig.
- We referenced the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s official election results for the 2022 gubernatorial election.
- The Hill wrote an article in 2015 citing Ayotte’s support for the Clean Power Plan.
- The Human Rights Campaign’s Congressional Scorecard for the 114th Congress noted Ayotte’s yes vote on a resolution which would guarantee same-sex couples access to certain benefits.
Next Up
We have been to Michigan before for the presidential race, but we return to the Great Lakes State for a look at the Senate race.
