New Hampshire Executive Council election, 2020

	2022 → ← 2018
New Hampshire Executive Council
Election details
	Filing deadline: June 12, 2020
	Primary: September 8, 2020; General: November 3, 2020; Pre-election incumbent(s):; Michael Cryans (D); Andru Volinsky (D); Russell Prescott (R); Ted Gatsas (R); Debora Pignatelli (D)
How to vote
	Poll times: Varies by municipality; Voting in New Hampshire
Ballotpedia analysis
	Federal and state primary competitiveness; State executive elections in 2020; Impact of term limits in 2020; State government trifectas; State government triplexes; Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2020
New Hampshire; executive elections
	Governor; Executive Council (5 seats)

New Hampshire held an election for all five executive council seats on November 3, 2020. The primary was scheduled for September 8, 2020. The filing deadline was June 12, 2020.

Joseph Kenney won election in the general election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 1.

Cinde Warmington won election in the general election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2.

Janet Stevens won election in the general election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 3.

Incumbent Ted Gatsas won election in the general election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 4.

Dave Wheeler won election in the general election for New Hampshire Executive Council District 5.

Election procedure changes in 2020

See also: Changes to election dates, procedures, and administration in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020

Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.

New Hampshire modified its absentee/mail-in voting and candidate filing procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:

Absentee/mail-in voting: Any voter could request an absentee ballot based on concerns related to COVID-19. Voters could submit one absentee ballot application for both the primary and general elections.
Candidate filing procedures: The nomination petition signature requirements for the Libertarian Party's candidates in New Hampshire's general election was reduced by 35 percent.

For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.

Candidates and election results

District 1

General election candidates

Michael Cryans (Incumbent) (Democratic Party)
Joseph Kenney (Republican Party) ✔

Democratic primary candidates

Michael Cryans (Incumbent) ✔

Republican primary candidates

Joseph Kenney ✔
Kim Strathdee

District 2

Cinde Warmington defeated five other candidates in the Democratic primary for the District 2 seat on the New Hampshire Executive Council. Warmington, a healthcare attorney, had endorsements from the New Hampshire AFL-CIO, former Executive Councilor Dudley Dudley (D), and former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D). ^[1]

Jim Beard won the Republican primary.

General election candidates

Cinde Warmington (Democratic Party) ✔
Jim Beard (Republican Party)

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Democratic primary candidates

= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
Republican primary candidates

Jim Beard ✔
Stewart Levenson

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways. Either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey or Ballotpedia staff created a profile after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.^[2] Ballotpedia staff compiled profiles based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements.

Leah Plunkett

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Leah Plunkett is a legal educator, on leave from UNH Franklin Pierce Law School for this academic year to visit at Harvard Law School, she often finds herself reprising this same role.She has served for over a decade on the Boards of Trustees for organizations like Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and the ACLU. Plunkett is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. She recently published her first book, "Sharenthood: Why We Should Think Before We Talk about Our Kids Online" (MIT Press). She lives in Concord with her husband, two children, and dog, Kermit. Leah has been endorsed by thePlanned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, and the National Education Association."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Stand firm on confirming only judges who support reproductive health care rights

Advocate for state agencies that work for kids and working families

Ensure that state spending protects the health and well-being of Granite Staters

This information was current as of the candidate's run for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 in 2020.

Emmett Soldati

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "Born and raised in Somersworth NH, Emmett Soldati is a small business owner, activist, and occasional provocateur. A graduate of the London School of Economics, Emmett spent the last decade working to connect and uplift the community he knows and loves - his hometown. 9 years ago, Emmett founded Teatotaller - a cafe, bakery, and restaurant, that has blossomed into a hub of LGBTQ+ programming, community gatherings, and social justice activism. When he isn't blending teas, pouring latte art, or laminating puff pastry, he works for an international non-profit, FarmersFirst:Africa, to support climate knowledge and food security for subsistence farmers throughout central Africa."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Speaking up for NH's Next Generation

Fighting for Reproductive Justice

Building an economy that works for everyone

This information was current as of the candidate's run for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 in 2020.

Craig Thompson

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office:

New Hampshire House of Representatives (Assumed office: 2018)

Submitted Biography: "I first came to New Hampshire over thirty years ago. Between working on a farm, waiting tables, washing dishes, and starting college in Plymouth, I fell in love with the Granite State. Growing up in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, I learned about hard work by stacking hay in the summers and gained an appreciation of our natural environment while hunting and fishing with my dad. I realized the importance of community action through my involvement with a grassroots group focused on stopping a giant trucking company from paving over valuable farmland. We ultimately failed, but not for a lack of effort. Before becoming a farmer, I trained horses for a living in Virginia and South Carolina and taught horsemanship and riding to all ages. I also wrote about fishing, hunting, hiking and equestrian sports for newspapers and magazines. It's now been more than eight years since my family settled in New Hampshire and bought Mayfair Farm in Harrisville, which at the time was no more than a shell of the busy dairy it once was. It is now a flourishing business-one that pays our employees a living wage and has also been named a New Hampshire Farm of Distinction. My ability to innovate and adapt, think strategically, and work with others has served me well in developing and expanding my own farm businesses. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to bring this experience to Concord to serve as your Executive Councilor."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Invest in education from kindergarten through graduate school.

Simplify access to the polls to restore a sense of genuine citizen engagement.

Make New Hampshire the best place to raise a family and own a business.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 in 2020.

Cinde Warmington

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography: "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. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for New Hampshire Executive Council District 2 in 2020.

District 3

General election candidates

Mindi Messmer (Democratic Party)
Janet Stevens (Republican Party) ✔

Democratic primary candidates

Republican primary candidates

District 4

General election candidates

Ted Gatsas (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
Mark S. Mackenzie (Democratic Party)

Democratic primary candidates

Republican primary candidates

Ted Gatsas (Incumbent) ✔

District 5

General election candidates

Debora Pignatelli (Incumbent) (Democratic Party)
Dave Wheeler (Republican Party) ✔

Democratic primary candidates

Debora Pignatelli (Incumbent) ✔
Bob Clegg (Write-in)
Dave Wheeler (Write-in)

Republican primary candidates

Bob Clegg
Dave Wheeler ✔

Past elections