Cinde Warmington

Cinde Warmington (Democratic Party) was a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, representing District 2. She assumed office on January 6, 2021. She left office on January 8, 2025.

Warmington (Democratic Party) ran for election for Governor of New Hampshire. She lost in the Democratic primary on September 10, 2024.

Biography

Cinde Warmington has lived in Concord, New Hampshire.^[1] Warmington earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, a master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a J.D. from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. Her career experience includes working as a health care attorney, as chair of the Health Care Practice Group at Shaheen & Gordon, P.A., in laboratory medicine, and in health care management.^[2]

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Governor of New Hampshire

Kelly Ayotte defeated Joyce Craig and Stephen Villee in the general election for Governor of New Hampshire on November 5, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kelly Ayotte (R)	53.6	436,122
	Joyce Craig (D)	44.3	360,149
	Stephen Villee (L)	2.0	16,202
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	1,024

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 813,497
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Edmond LaPlante (Constitution Party)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire

Joyce Craig defeated Cinde Warmington and Jonathan Kiper in the Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 10, 2024.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Joyce Craig	47.9	59,976
	Cinde Warmington	41.8	52,420
	Jonathan Kiper	9.4	11,789
	Other/Write-in votes	0.9	1,076

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 125,261
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kelly Ayotte	63.1	88,117
		Chuck Morse	34.1	47,567
		Shaun Fife	0.6	876
	Submit photo	Robert McClory	0.6	839
		Frank Staples	0.6	809
	Submit photo	Richard McMenamon II	0.4	527
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	867

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 139,602
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2022

General election

General election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Incumbent Cinde Warmington defeated Harold French in the general election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 on November 8, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Cinde Warmington (D)	60.0	74,107
	Harold French (R)	40.0	49,428
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	77

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 123,612
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Incumbent Cinde Warmington defeated Michael Cryans and Bradford Todd in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 on September 13, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cinde Warmington	79.2	21,040
		Michael Cryans	16.0	4,244
	Submit photo	Bradford Todd	4.5	1,206
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	67

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 26,557
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Harold French defeated Kim Strathdee in the Republican primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 on September 13, 2022.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Harold French	66.1	12,184
	Kim Strathdee	33.1	6,095
	Other/Write-in votes	0.9	160

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,439
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

General election

General election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Cinde Warmington defeated Jim Beard in the general election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cinde Warmington (D)	54.4	79,414
	Submit photo	Jim Beard (R)	45.5	66,406
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	106

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 145,926
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 on September 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cinde Warmington	27.3	9,207
		Leah Plunkett	24.8	8,356
		Emmett Soldati	20.7	6,986
		Craig Thompson	12.4	4,194
	Submit photo	Jay Surdukowski	8.1	2,738
	Submit photo	John Shea	6.5	2,185
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	38

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 33,704
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Jim Beard defeated Stewart Levenson in the Republican primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 on September 8, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jim Beard	52.8	10,393
	Submit photo	Stewart Levenson	46.8	9,212
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	72

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,677
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

To view Warmington's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Cinde Warmington did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Warmington’s campaign website stated the following:

“

VALUES

Cinde Warmington is running for governor because she believes that everyone in New Hampshire deserves the freedom to thrive. As the only Democrat on the Executive Council and the highest-ranking Democrat in state government, Cinde has been the last line of defense against Republican overreach. She has stood strong to fund Planned Parenthood, protect public schools, and expand job development, affordable housing, and childcare services across New Hampshire.

As governor, she wants to continue that work and tackle the problems that have been neglected our state for too long.

Reproductive Freedom

Everyone should have the freedom to make their own reproductive health care decisions, including access to affordable, safe, and legal abortion care and contraception without government interference. Cinde Warmington will repeal Governor Sununu’s dangerous abortion ban and put into law protections for all Granite Staters to access safe, legal abortion care.

Public Education

All students in New Hampshire have the right to receive a quality public school education and we must protect that. Cinde Warmington believes that taxpayer dollars should go to public schools and will put an end to Frank Edelblut’s disastrous voucher program once elected governor. Public education is the bedrock of our democracy and we must invest in our neighborhood schools so that all students in our state have the opportunity to thrive, no matter their ZIP code.

Affordable Housing

We are facing an affordable housing crisis in which New Hampshire is projected to be 60,000 units behind by 2030. This critical problem is exacerbating our homelessness crisis, workforce shortage, and the fact that young people cannot afford to raise their own families in our state. On the Executive Council, Cinde Warmington worked across the aisle to invest $100 million into affordable housing projects and the infrastructure needed to support them. As governor, Cinde Warmington will prioritize making sure that every family has a roof over their heads and no one is forced to sleep on the streets.

Environment & Energy

Climate change presents a real and imminent threat to our state and we must take bold actions to protect our future. As governor, Cinde Warmington will implement a statewide comprehensive climate action plan with clearly specified timelines and goals prioritizing clean, renewable energy and energy efficiency. She is committed to achieving sound environmental and energy policies that are consistent with a strong jobs economy and reduced energy costs. Cinde Warmington will fight to ensure that every Granite Stater has access to clean air, clean drinking water, and the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful parks, lakes, and outdoor recreation that our state has to offer.

Read more about Cinde Warmington's CLEAN Energy Economy Plan here.

Economic Growth & Workforce Protections

Cinde Warmington grew up in a hardworking middle class family and understands the importance of making sure good-paying jobs are available to everyone. She knows that unions built the middle class and that attacks on unions are attacks on working families everywhere. Cinde Warmington is committed to supporting the rights of workers to organize and negotiate for fair wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. She supports making the minimum wage a living wage and achieving pay equity for women and people of color all throughout the Granite State.

Affordable Health Care & Mental Health

Health care is a right, not a privilege, and we must do more to make sure every Granite Stater has access to affordable care options. Mental health and substance use treatment are no exception and, if we are going to address our mental health and substance use disorder crises, Cinde Warmington knows that we first must start with building out the full range of prevention and treatment options. Over the last two decades, Cinde Warmington has served on multiple community substance use disorder treatment program boards and has been a leading voice on the Executive Council for expanding treatment options and mental health resources.

Gun Violence Prevention

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, whether that’s children in schools or people on the streets. Recent events have shown that New Hampshire is not immune from gun violence. Cinde Warmington believes in responsible gun ownership and is committed to addressing gun violence head-on. She supports universal background checks, gun-free school zones, extreme risk protection orders, and getting weapons of war off the street.

Read more about Cinde Warmington's Gun Violence Prevention Plan here.

Freedom from Discrimination

New Hampshire’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths and we must do more to ensure that diversity is reflected in our public institutions. No matter their race, ethnicity, religious belief, disability, immigration status, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity, Cinde Warmington believes every Granite Stater deserves freedom from discrimination in all areas of our society, including employment, housing, education, health care, our justice system, and in accessing all areas of public accommodations.

Protecting Our Democracy

Cinde Warmington understands that all of our fundamental rights begin with the right to vote. Free and fair elections are the foundation of a healthy democracy and Cinde Warmington is committed to ensuring that every eligible Granite Stater has the right to make their voice heard at the ballot box.

Cannabis

Cinde Warmington has long advocated for the legalization, with proper regulation and taxation, of cannabis and will continue to do so as governor.^[3]

”

—Cinde Warmington’s campaign website (2024)^[4]

2022

Cinde Warmington did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Cinde Warmington completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Warmington's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a lifelong health care advocate and Democratic activist.

I've worked in health care for forty years: twenty years in laboratory medicine and hospitals, and twenty as a health care attorney. Currently, we have no one on the Executive Council with a health care background, despite health and human services being the largest share of our state budget. Now in the midst of a public health crisis, this expertise is desperately needed. As a health care worker and now a health care attorney, I've seen the challenges many Granite Staters face in accessing quality, affordable health care, including reproductive health care, mental health, and substance use disorder treatment. On the Executive Council, I will work to expand access and lower costs for New Hampshire families.

I'm also an activist. I started knocking on doors two decades ago to elect Democratic candidates. From chairing my town committee, to now chairing the New Hampshire Democratic Party's Platform Committee, I know our Democratic values, I how to fight for them, and I know how to get the job done.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I've spent my life working for the recognition of health care as a basic human right. In the midst of the most dire public health crisis of our lifetime, I'll be a health care champion on the Executive Council.
With forty years of professional experience in health care and contract law, and twenty years as a Democratic activist, I'll be ready on day one to get the job done.
I intend to take the Executive Council where it's never been before to better serve Granite Staters. I'll communicate with state agencies earlier in the contract review process, improve coordination with the state legislature, and strengthen the Council's Democratic caucus.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

More than 40 years ago, I began working in health care, starting out as a phlebotomist drawing blood at my local hospital to put myself through college. I worked in laboratory medicine and hospitals for 20 years. Over that time, I saw the cracks in our health care system and the many people who tragically fell through them. This drove me to go to law school to be a health care attorney and to engage in the political process.

I have been knocking on doors for universal health care ever since. Health care is a basic human right, including mental health, oral health and reproductive health, and we need elected officials who will not only fight for that but who understand how to fix our broken system. That is why I am running for office.

Expenditures in the Department of Health and Human Services are the largest part of our state budget: $2.8 billion just in the last year. We're facing the most dire public health crisis of our lifetime. Yet, no one on our Executive Council has a health care background. Having an Executive Councilor who understands both the complexities of the health care system and how those are presented in state contracts will be of great benefit.

I know what's in our state contracts. I know what to ask. I know where we can hold state contractors accountable to lower costs and expand access.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

One vote on the Executive Council is the difference between Planned Parenthood being funded and women across our state being denied essential health care services; one vote on the Executive Council is the difference between a Commissioner of Education who supports public education and one who seeks to undermine it every single day; one vote on the Executive Council is the difference between a Supreme Court that upholds our fundamental rights and one who seeks to undermine the right to choose, the right to vote and the right to marry the one you love.

The Executive Council can ensure we have state agency leaders who will forward and protect the mission of the agency. It can ensure we have judges who will uphold our fundamental rights, including those rights currently under assault, such as the right to choose and the right to vote. The Executive Council also plays a critical role in the state contracting process, making sure our hard-earned dollars are spent in a way that is both fiscally responsible and consistent with our values.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I'm not afraid of hard work. I was the first in my family to ever go to college, and I worked 30 hours a week to pay my way. After graduation, I worked in hospital laboratories and worked my way up eventually serving in a variety of hospital and health care management positions. I was a working mother, raising two children while volunteering at their school and in my community. When my youngest started first grade, I started law school. Most nights, my study time started at 9pm.

For the past 20 years, I have been a health care attorney. I chair the Health Law practice at Shaheen & Gordon, PA. and in that role, I read, write and negotiate contracts. I have volunteered my time serving on the boards of mental health and substance use disorder treatment organizations, including eight years on the board of the Lakes Region Mental Health Center, which I chaired, and now as a member of the board of Riverbend Community Mental Health in Concord.

What responsibilities of this office do you personally consider the most important?

The Executive Council was formed by our founders to act as a check on the power of the Governor. Its primary responsibilities include reviewing state contracts and approving gubernatorial nominations of judges and key appointments to agencies, boards and commissions. But the little known secret of the Executive Council is that it can yield enormous power to protect the interests of the people of New Hampshire.

The Executive Council is best-known for its role in approving or denying nominations, but its role in reviewing state contracts is equally important. There is untapped power that can be used to better serve the people of our state. Currently Councilors question state agency heads about the contracts before them, but these come late in the process, when the contracts are already fully negotiated.

My vision is to communicate with state agencies early-several months in advance, asking questions at a point in the process when it could meaningfully impact the outcome. Questions like whether the contractor pays fair wages, provides health care coverage and paid leave, uses energy efficient technology, or has diversity in its workforce.

A healthy dialogue between the agency and the Council earlier on would not only ensure state dollars are spent responsibly, but it would also be more respectful of our state agency employees. These employees currently operate in the dark, contracting for services with no advance communication with the Council which must ultimately give final approval.

I consulted with current and former Executive Councilors and state agency leaders about whether this bold vision was possible. I was told unequivocally that not only could this happen, but it should happen.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

The Executive Council has a key role to play in protecting reproductive rights and reproductive health care access. Unfortunately, the state Planned Parenthood contract has become a partisan battle, and I would be a warrior in that battle. Even more dire is the threat to reproductive rights posed by our national and state Supreme Courts. As Roe v. Wade is likely to be overturned by a conservative national Supreme Court, it's a question of when, not if, abortion rights come before our New Hampshire Supreme Court.

The most controversial issue that came before the Executive Council in the last two years was the nomination of the anti-choice Attorney General Gordon MacDonald as chief justice of the N.H. Supreme Court. Fortunately, our Democratic majority on the Executive rejected that nomination. But Gov. Chris Sununu has held that seat open, refusing to nominate another candidate, in the hopes that next year he will have an Executive Council majority who will confirm MacDonald's renomination.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that a proven track record of working to promote Democratic values is an important qualification. Driven by my belief that health care is a basic human right, I became politically active 20 years ago at a grassroots level, knocking on doors, making phone calls, marching in parades, and standing at the polls to elect Democratic candidates. I served as chair of my town committee and Secretary of my county committee, and currently serve as chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party's Platform Committee. In this role, I have traveled around New Hampshire, listening to what matters most to Democrats to help put forth a party platform we can all unite around.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

I am unique in this race in that I have extensive professional experience reading, writing and negotiating contracts. This isn't just theoretical knowledge. Over 20 years, I have seen how things buried in the fine print can impact real people in their real lives. The Executive Council reviews 100-200 contracts every two weeks, delivered on Friday night and voted on Wednesday morning. I have the skills and experience to dig deeply into these contracts and ask the tough questions.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Cinde Warmington campaign contribution history
Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Governor of New Hampshire	Lost primary	$1,228,758	$0
2022	New Hampshire Executive Council District 2	Won general	$434,854	$0
Grand total			$1,663,612	$0
Sources: OpenSecrets, Federal Elections Commission *This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

External links

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Candidate

Governor of New Hampshire

Personal

Footnotes

↑ State of New Hampshire Executive Council, "Councilor Cinde Warmington," accessed January 28, 2021
↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 18, 2020
↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Cinde Warmington for New Hampshire Governor 2024, “Values,” accessed August 20, 2024

Political offices
Preceded by Andru Volinsky (D)	New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 2021-2025	Succeeded by Karen Liot Hill (D)

[bio-1] State of New Hampshire Executive Council, "Councilor Cinde Warmington," accessed January 28, 2021

[bio2-2] Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 18, 2020

[quotedisclaimer-3] Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[4] Cinde Warmington for New Hampshire Governor 2024, “Values,” accessed August 20, 2024

[1]

[2]

[3]

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Cinde Warmington

Biography

Elections

2024

General election

General election for Governor of New Hampshire

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of New Hampshire

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of New Hampshire

2022

General election

General election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

2020

General election

General election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Republican primary election

Republican primary for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2

Endorsements

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign website

2022

2020

Campaign finance summary

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2025 Elections

2026 Elections

2024 Election analysis

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