New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2016

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New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election

Primary Date: September 13, 2016

General Election Date: November 8, 2016

November Election Winner: Chris Sununu (R)

Incumbent Prior to Election: Maggie Hassan (D)

State Executive Elections Top Ballot Governor • Executive Council Down Ballot None

The New Hampshire gubernatorial race was one of the most-watched gubernatorial contests in 2016. Executive Councilor Chris Sununu (R) defeated Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern (D) in the general election. With Republicans gaining the governor's seat and maintaining majority control in both chambers of the state legislature, the party also won trifecta control of the state.

HIGHLIGHTS

At the time of the election, Democrats had held the governor's seat in New Hampshire for over a decade.

Democratic Governor Maggie Hassan ran in the 2016 U.S. Senate election, leaving the 2016 gubernatorial election an open race.

Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern won the Democratic nomination on September 13; Executive Councilor Chris Sununu won the Republican nomination over state Sen. Frank Edelblut by less than 1 percent.

Sununu won the general election on November 8, 2016, after a close race.

Overview

See also: Gubernatorial elections, 2016

Going into the election, New Hampshire had had a divided government since 2011; Republicans held majorities in both chambers of the state legislature, while the governorship—an office that had been largely controlled by Republicans for the century prior—had been occupied by a Democrat since 2005. The November election turned out to be a good chance for Republicans to win back the governor's seat; incumbent Governor Maggie Hassan's (D) decision to run for the U.S. Senate in 2016 left the governor's seat open.

Five Democrats—Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand, Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern, former Deputy Secretary of State Mark Connolly, radio host Ian Freeman, and children's book author Derek Dextraze—competed for their party's nomination. Van Ostern won the Democratic nomination on September 13.

Five Republicans were on the primary election ballot: Executive Councilor Chris Sununu (R), state Rep. Frank Edelblut (R), state Sen. Jeanie Forrester (R), Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas (R), and marketing manager Jon Lavoie (R). Sununu won the nomination after a tight race that was not called until the last precinct reported vote totals in the afternoon on September 14. Sununu won by less than 1,000 total votes—a margin of less than 1 percentage point.

One Libertarian and two independent candidates also competed for the seat. The proposed Northern Pass transmission line and the state's growing opioid addiction crisis were major issues in the 2016 election.

Sununu won the general election on November 8, 2016, after a close race. Since Democrats lost the governorship, Republicans picked up a trifecta in the state, as the Republican Party also maintained control of the state legislative chambers. Both houses of the legislature were identified as battleground chambers in 2016.

Candidates and results

Candidates

Colin Van Ostern (D)
Executive councilor since 2013, consultant

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Chris Sununu (R)
Executive councilor since 2011, engineer, businessman

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Max Abramson (Lib.)
State representative since 2014 (elected as a Republican)

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Jilletta Jarvis (Ind.)
Regulatory project training manager

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Bill Fortune (Ind.)
Facilities engineer, contractor

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Click [show] to view candidates who declined to run in this election, were disqualified from running, or were defeated in the primary elections.

Defeated in the primary elections Ian Freeman (D) Talk radio host Mark Connolly (D) Former New Hampshire deputy secretary of state Steve Marchand (D) Public strategy consultant, former mayor of Portsmouth Derek Dextraze (D) Children's book author Frank Edelblut (R) State representative since 2014 Jeanie Forrester (R) State senator since 2011 Ted Gatsas (R) Mayor of Manchester since 2009, former state senator Jon Lavoie (R) Sales and marketing manager Disqualified Michael Gill (Ind.) Mortgage business owner Declined Jackie Cilley (D) - State Representative Andrew Hosmer (D) - State Representative Maggie Hassan (D) - Incumbent - Running for U.S. Senate instead Stefany Shaheen (D)- Portsmouth City Councilor Jeb Bradley (R) - State Senate Majority Leader, Former U.S. Representative Donnalee Lozeau (R) - Nashua Mayor, Former State Representative

Results

General election

Chris Sununu defeated Colin Van Ostern and Max Abramson in the New Hampshire governor election.

New Hampshire Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Chris Sununu	49%	354,040
	Democratic	Colin Van Ostern	46.7%	337,589
	Libertarian	Max Abramson	4.3%	31,243
Total Votes				722,872
Source: The New York Times

Primary elections

Colin Van Ostern defeated Steve Marchand, Mark Connolly , Ian Freeman and Derek Dextraze in the New Hampshire Democratic primary for governor.

New Hampshire Democratic primary for governor, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Colin Van Ostern	51.99%	37,694
Steve Marchand	25.29%	18,338
Mark Connolly	20.47%	14,839
Ian Freeman	1.47%	1,069
Derek Dextraze	0.77%	557
Total Votes (300 of 300 precincts reporting)		72,497
Source: AP

Chris Sununu defeated Frank Edelblut, Ted Gatsas, Jeanie Forrester and Jon Lavoie in the New Hampshire Republican primary for governor.

New Hampshire Republican primary for governor, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Chris Sununu	30.68%	34,137
Frank Edelblut	29.79%	33,149
Ted Gatsas	20.53%	22,840
Jeanie Forrester	17.72%	19,716
Jon Lavoie	1.28%	1,429
Total Votes (300 of 300 precincts reporting)		111,271
Source: AP

About the primary

A primary election is an election in which voters select the candidate they believe should represent a political party in a general election. Primaries usually take place several months before a general election. New Hampshire utilizes a hybrid primary system. Unaffiliated voters may vote in the primary, but in order to do so, they have to choose a party before voting. This changes their status from unaffiliated to affiliated with that party unless they fill out a card to return to undeclared status.

New Hampshire's primary elections took place on September 13, 2016.

Party control

New Hampshire Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Senate	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	S	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R
House	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	R	R	R	R	R

Going into the election, New Hampshire had had a divided government since 2011; Democrats held the governorship while Republicans held a strong majority in the House and a three-seat majority in the state Senate. New Hampshire voters have continuously sent at least one Republican to the U.S. Senate in statewide elections since 1979. At the time of the general election, the five-member New Hampshire Executive Council—which is given broad powers under the state constitution to approve or block gubernatorial actions—had a Republican majority.

The office of governor of New Hampshire, up for election every two years, has been largely controlled by Republicans for the past century. Republicans held the seat from 1925 until 2003 with the exception of three Democratic officeholders from 1963 to 1969, 1979 to 1982, and 1997 to 2003. Democrat John Lynch narrowly unseated incumbent Craig Benson (R) in 2004 by about 2 percentage points, and Democrats held the seat for the next twelve years. Although polling suggested that the Democratic Party was likely to retain the governor's seat after the 2016 election, the race was expected to be close regardless. Additionally, both parties saw competitive primary elections, particularly in the race for the Republican nomination.

With the exception of 2004, recent general elections for governor were not particularly close, even in open races. Both major parties saw wide margins of victory in general elections over the previous two decades—though the last big win for Republicans was in 2002. Given the strong candidate field, 2016 shaped up to be Republicans' best chance in several years to win back the governor's seat. It was plausible in 2016 that either major party could pick up state trifectas, and indeed, since Democrats lost the governorship while Republicans retained their legislative chambers, Republicans won a united government.

Debates

Republican primary debate: September 6, 2016

Sununu, Gatsas, Forrester, and Edelblut debated on September 6, 2016. Among the topics of debate were the National Guard, the state's opioid addiction crisis, and education. As a part of her campaign platform, Forrester proposed that the National Guard play a greater role in helping to combat the trafficking of illegal opiates into New Hampshire under the existing National Guard Counterdrug Program. Forrester had sponsored legislation to extend the program earlier in 2016, stating that it "provides military specific skill-sets" that aid local law enforcement. Gatsas questioned how helpful the National Guard had actually been, stating, "I think I talk to the chief of police on a daily basis about the problems we have in [Manchester] and he’s never told me about the National Guard on the front lines fighting this battle." Sununu criticized the idea, claiming that the "concept of militarizing the border between New Hampshire and Massachusetts is simply a terrible idea."

All four candidates expressed support for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and agreed that the Common Core should be eliminated from the public school curriculum, though Edelblut accused Gatsas of implementing "Common Core lite" in Manchester. All four candidates also disagreed with the concept of man-made global warming, pointing instead to natural weather cycles and urging caution before creating policy based on climate change theory.

Click here to watch full video of this debate.

Democratic primary debate: September 6, 2016

Marchand, Connolly, and Van Ostern debated on September 6, 2016. Major topics of discussion included the state's opioid addiction crisis, sanctuary for Syrian refugees, and taxes. All three candidates expressed opposition to incumbent Governor Maggie Hassan's (D) 2015 call to freeze the state's intake of Syrian refugees, stating that immigration could play a key role in growing the state economy. Van Ostern suggested that the state should prioritize teaching refugees English and providing job-training opportunities in order to help immigrants assimilate into the New Hampshire job market.

Marchand stressed the need for increased revenue for the state, claiming that he was the only Democratic candidate who would do so. "If you want things that matter, you have to pay for them," said Marchand, advocating for an increase to the gas and cigarette tax, taxation and legalization of marijuana, and undoing tax cuts for business profits. Connolly also stated that he would support changing the business profit tax and increasing the gas tax and called on local businesses to help pay for infrastructure repairs.

Click here to watch full video of this debate.

Democratic primary election debate: August 10, 2016

Steve Marchand, Colin Van Ostern, and Mark Connolly debated on August 10, 2016; topics of discussion included legalization of marijuana and taxes. Marchand was the sole candidate to support legalizing and taxing marijuana in order to raise revenue for the state, and he also supported raising the New Hampshire business profits tax. "You can't be changing tax policy year to year. You have to give business owners a chance to plan," remarked Connolly. "They do not deserve to be treated as a yo-yo on the end of a string," said Van Ostern. "My opponents, I feel, are not getting specific about raising the revenue we need to deal with the challenges we have," said Marchand.

Van Ostern proposed a 10-cent raise in the tobacco tax to fund public kindergarten programs and criticized Republicans Chris Sununu and Ted Gatsas for supporting divisive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. All three candidates supported repealing capital punishment.

Click here to watch full video of the debate

Republican primary election debate: July 27, 2016

Chris Sununu, Frank Edelblut, Jeanie Forrester, and Ted Gatsas debated on July 27, 2016. During the debate, Edelblut, Forrester, and Gatsas criticized Sununu for voting to approve a $550,000 contract for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England to open family planning services in the state. "We should not be using taxpayer money to fund abortions," said Forrester. "At the end of the day, my job as Executive Councilor is to cast a vote, not what's in my best political interests, ... it is about taking care of my constituents," responded Sununu, also stating that Planned Parenthood was the only provider in the area that had bid on the contract and calling the criticism politically motivated.

Another topic of discussion was the state's opioid addiction crisis. Edelblut stated that the state should treat addicts instead of sending them to prison, Forrester said that the state should have oversight over funding for substance-abuse problems, Gatsas touted his efforts to combat addiction in Manchester, and Sununu called for better state and local leadership.

Republican primary debate: July 14, 2016

Chris Sununu, Frank Edelblut, Jeanie Forrester, and Ted Gatsas debated on July 14, 2016. A major topic of discussion was the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Forrester and Edelblut both stated they would sign a pledge to oppose expansion, while Gatsas and Sununu urged caution. "[W]hen you talk about getting rid of Obamacare, you’ve got to have a solution to the problem because 46,000 people will be going to the emergency rooms again and all of us are going to be paying for the increase in health insurance," said Gatsas. "I believe we need better solutions, but we better be smart in how we do those solutions," agreed Sununu.

The candidates also discussed their economic plans, with Forrester calling hers the "only conservative economic plan" and criticizing Sununu's as too liberal. "[My plan] is far and away the most specific plan," said Sununu.

Race tracking

Race Ratings: New Hampshire Governor
Race Tracker	Race Ratings
The Cook Political Report	Toss-up	Toss-up
Governing	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Toss-up	Toss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Toss-up	Toss-up
Daily Kos Race Ratings	Toss-up	Toss-up
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season.

Polls

General election

Colin Van Ostern vs. Chris Sununu
Poll	Ostern	Sununu	Margin of error	Sample size
University of Massachusetts Amherst (October 17-21)	44%	43%	+/-4.5	772
WMUR (October 11-17, 2016)	44%	38%	+/-3.5	770
WBUR (October 10-12, 2016)	47%	44%	+/-4.4	501
University of Massachusetts Lowell (October 7-11, 2016)	39%	41%	+/-4.9	517
Boston Globe/Suffolk University (October 3-5, 2016)	36%	40%	+/-4.4	500
Monmouth (September 17-20, 2016)	43%	49%	+/-4.9	400
AVERAGES	42.17%	42.5%	+/-4.43	576.67
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Primary election

Republican primary election
Poll	Frank Edelblut	Jeanie Forrester	Ted Gatsas	Jonathan Lavoie	Chris Sununu	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size
Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald May 25-28, 2016	0%	7%	10%	0%	44%	36%	+/-4.9	405
NH Journal July 19-21, 2016	4.4%	5.4%	20.7%	1.6%	27%	41%	+/-5.1	1,166
AVERAGES	2.2%	6.2%	15.35%	0.8%	35.5%	38.5%	+/-5	785.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Democratic primary election
Poll	Mark Connolly	Derek Dextraze	Ian Freeman	Steve Marchand	Colin Van Ostern	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size
Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald May 25-28, 2016	5%	0%	0%	2%	12%	74%	+/-4.9	405
NH Journal July 19-21, 2016	6.8%	0.7%	2.6%	5.8%	13.4%	70.6%	+/-5.1	1,166
AVERAGES	5.9%	0.35%	1.3%	3.9%	12.7%	72.3%	+/-5	785.5
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Primary election: Democratic and Republican candidates
Poll	Mark Connolly (D)	Frank Edelblut (R)	Jeanie Forrester (R)	Ted Gatsas (R)	Steve Marchand (D)	Chris Sununu (R)	Colin Van Ostern (D)	Other	Unsure	Margin of error	Sample size
WMUR/University of New Hampshire August 20-28, 2016	2%	4%	5%	14%	5%	23%	10%	1%	36%	+/-4.1	559
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Hypothetical general election matchup: Colin Van Ostern (D) and Chris Sununu (R)
Poll	Colin Van Ostern	Chris Sununu	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size
Public Policy Polling January 4-6, 2016	35%	39%	26%	+/-3.0	1,036
Public Policy Polling August 21-24, 2015	32%	39%	29%	+/-3.4	841
Public Policy Polling November 30-December 2, 2015	34%	40%	25%	+/-3.1	990
Public Policy Polling April 9-13, 2015	34%	47%	29%	+/-3.6	747
Public Policy Polling October 16-18, 2015	34%	41%	25%	+/-3.3	880
AVERAGES	33.8%	41.2%	26.8%	+/-3.28	898.8
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Hypothetical general election matchup: Mark Connolly (D) and Frank Edelblut (R)
Poll	Mark Connolly	Frank Edelblut	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size
Public Policy Polling January 4-6, 2016	31%	24%	45%	+/-3.0	1,036
Public Policy Polling November 30-December 2, 2015	33%	24%	43%	+/-3.1	990
AVERAGES	32%	24%	44%	+/-3.05	1,013
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Hypothetical general election matchup: Mark Connolly (D) and Chris Sununu (R)
Poll	Mark Connolly	Chris Sununu	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size
Public Policy Polling January 4-6, 2016	36%	38%	25%	+/-3.0	1,036
Public Policy Polling November 30-December 2, 2015	36%	40%	24%	+/-3.1	990
AVERAGES	36%	39%	24.5%	+/-3.05	1,013
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Hypothetical general election matchup: Colin Van Ostern (D) and Frank Edelblut (R)
Poll	Colin Van Ostern	Frank Edelblut	Not sure	Margin of error	Sample size
Public Policy Polling January 4-6, 2016	30%	25%	45%	+/-3.0	1,036
Public Policy Polling November 30-December 2, 2015	30%	26%	44%	+/-3.1	990
AVERAGES	30%	25.5%	44.5%	+/-3.05	1,013
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Endorsements

Key endorsements, Democratic primary candidates
Mark Connolly (D)	Steve Marchand (D)	Colin Van Ostern (D)
Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire	Rights & Democracy NH	U.S. Congresswoman Ann McLane Kuster (D)
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 104	Marijuana Policy Project	Mayor of Concord, New Hampshire Jim Bouley
Portsmouth City Councilor M. Christine Dwyer	The Nashua Telegraph	Mayor of Nashua, New Hampshire Jim Donchess
Former gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. Jackie Cilley (D)	Seacoastonline.com	Mayor of Rochester, New Hampshire Caroline McCarley
		National Education Association - New Hampshire
		United Steelworkers
		American Federation of Teachers - New Hampshire
		Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund
What is a key endorsement?

Key endorsements, Republican primary candidates (1 of 2)
Frank Edelblut (R)	Chris Sununu (R)
Marijuana Policy Project	Executive Councilor Joe Kenney (R)
NH Conservative Majority Project	Governor of Ohio John Kasich (R)
NH Liberty Alliance	President of the State Senate Chuck Morse (R)
New Hampshire Right to Life	Former Attorney General of New Hampshire Peter Heed (R)
603 Alliance	Concord Monitor
	Former Governor Judd Gregg (R)
	Former Governor Steve Merrill (R)
	Former U.S. Senator Jim Brown (R)
What is a key endorsement?

Key endorsements, Republican primary candidates (2 of 2)
Ted Gatsas (R)	Jeannie Forrester (R)
State Senate Majority Leader Jeb Bradley (R)	Union Leader
Former Executive Councilor Bernie Streeter (R)
Nashua Telegraph
What is a key endorsement?

Campaign finance

General election

The following charts detail the campaign finances for the major party candidates, Colin Van Ostern (D) and Chris Sununu (R), during the general election.

Click [show] to view complete campaign finance details for this race.
Note: If a candidate does not appear below, he or she did not meet or exceed minimum reporting requirements. Chris Sununu campaign finance reports Colin Van Ostern campaign finance reports

Primary election

The following charts detail the campaign finances for major party contenders during the primary election season.

Click [show] to view complete campaign finance details for this race.
Note: If a candidate does not appear below, he or she did not meet or exceed minimum reporting requirements. Mark Connolly (D) campaign finance reports Frank Edelblut (R) campaign finance reports Derek Dextraze (D) campaign finance reports Ted Gatsas campaign finance reports Jeanie Forrester campaign finance reports Jilletta Jarvis campaign finance reports Steve Marchand campaign finance reports

Satellite spending

Main article: Political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns

Groups unaffiliated with candidates or campaigns—such as political action committees, super PACs, nonprofit public welfare organizations, and labor unions—often spend money to influence the outcome of an election. This satellite spending can take the form of express advocacy, which encourages votes for or against a candidate, or issue advocacy, which supports broad political or social issues. Some groups are restricted on which kind of advocacy they can engage in based on their tax status.

Disclosure regulations vary from state to state and vary based on type of organization, complicating the process of determining a comprehensive picture of all spending in a given election.

For example, nonprofits are not always required to disclose their donors to the government; they submit financial information to the federal government through regular tax filings with the Internal Revenue Service, which are only publicly available through a Freedom of Information Act request. Other organizations are required to report election expenditures to a state elections division.

Satellite spending in the New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2016
Organization	Amount spent	Type of spending
Prouder Stronger NH PAC	Unknown	Advertisements on behalf of Ted Gatsas (R)
Total known expenditures:	$0
Note: All figures are estimates. Know of any other instances of satellite spending? Tell us!

Campaign media

Note: If a candidate is not listed below, Ballotpedia staff were unable to locate any campaign media for that candidate. Do you know of any? Tell us!

Democrats

Mark Connolly (D)
Steve Marchand (D)
Derek Dextraze (D)
Colin Van Ostern (D)

Republicans

Frank Edelblut (R)
Jeanie Forrester (R)
Ted Gatsas (R)
Jon Lavoie (R)
Chris Sununu (R)

Third-party candidates

Max Abramson (Lib.)
Jilletta Jarvis (Ind.)
Bill Fortune (Ind.)
Michael Gill (Ind.)

Campaign advertisements

Click here to view campaign advertisements for this race.

Recent ads:

Chris Sununu, "Fresh Leadership," September 7, 2016

Colin Van Ostern for Governor, "Restored," September 1, 2016

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms New Hampshire governor election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2016 - Google News

Past elections

2014

See also: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2014

Governor of New Hampshire, 2014
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Maggie Hassan Incumbent	52.5%	254,659
	Republican	Walter Havenstein	47.3%	229,596
	Nonpartisan	Scattering	0.2%	907
Total Votes				485,162
Election results via New Hampshire Secretary of State

To view the full electoral history for governor of New Hampshire, click [show] to expand the full section.

2012 On November 6, 2012, Maggie Hassan won election to the office of governor of New Hampshire. She defeated Ovide Lamontagne and John Babiarz in the general election. governor of New Hampshire, 2012 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Maggie Hassan 54.6% 378,934      Republican Ovide Lamontagne 42.5% 295,024      Libertarian John Babiars 2.8% 19,251      N/A Other 0.1% 666 Total Votes 693,875 Election results via New Hampshire Office of the Secretary of State. 2010 On November 2, 2010, John Lynch won re-election to the office of governor of New Hampshire. He defeated John Stephen and John Babiarz in the general election. governor of New Hampshire, 2010 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Lynch Incumbent 52.6% 240,346      Republican John Stephen 45% 205,626      Libertarian John Babiarz 2.2% 10,089      N/A Other 0.1% 685 Total Votes 456,746 Election results via New Hampshire Office of the Secretary of State. 2008 On November 4, 2008, John Lynch won re-election to the office of governor of New Hampshire. He defeated Joseph Kenney and Susan Newell in the general election. governor of New Hampshire, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Lynch Incumbent 70.2% 479,042      Republican Joseph Kenney 27.6% 188,555      Libertarian Susan Newell 2.2% 14,987 Total Votes 682,584 Election results via New Hampshire Office of the Secretary of State. 2006 On November 7, 2006, John Lynch won re-election to the office of governor of New Hampshire. He defeated James Coburn and Richard Kahn in the general election. governor of New Hampshire, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Lynch Incumbent 74% 298,761      Republican James Coburn 25.8% 104,288      Libertarian Richard Kahn 0.1% 323      N/A Other 0.1% 308 Total Votes 403,680 Election results via New Hampshire Office of the Secretary of State. 2004 On November 2, 2004, John Lynch won election to the office of governor of New Hampshire. He defeated Craig Benson in the general election. governor of New Hampshire, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic John Lynch 51.1% 340,299      Republican Craig Benson Incumbent 48.9% 325,981 Total Votes 666,280 Election results via New Hampshire Office of the Secretary of State. 2002 On November 5, 2002, Craig Benson won election to the office of governor of New Hampshire. He defeated Mark Fernald and John Babiarz in the general election. governor of New Hampshire, 2002 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Republican Craig Benson 58.6% 259,663      Democratic Mark Fernald 38.2% 169,277      Libertarian John Babiarz 2.9% 13,028      N/A Other 0.2% 1,008 Total Votes 442,976 Election results via New Hampshire Office of the Secretary of State. 2000 On November 7, 2000, Jeanne Shaheen won re-election to the office of governor of New Hampshire. She defeated Gordon Humphrey, Mary Brown, and John Babiarz in the general election. governor of New Hampshire, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Jeanne Shaheen Incumbent 48.7% 275,038      Republican Gordon Humphrey 43.8% 246,952      Independent Mary Brown 6.4% 35,904      Libertarian John Babiarz 1.1% 6,446 Total Votes 564,340 Election results via New Hampshire Office of the Secretary of State.

Race background

Key election dates

Filing deadline (major parties): June 10, 2016

Nomination deadline (third parties and independents): August 10, 2016

Filing deadline (third parties and independents): September 7, 2016

Primary Date: September 13, 2016

General Election Date: November 8, 2016

Recount request deadline: November 14, 2016

Inauguration: January 4, 2017

Candidate field

Five Democrats and five Republicans competed for their parties' nominations; one Libertarian and two independent candidates were on the general election ballot along with the winners of the primary elections.

Former New Hampshire Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern, former Deputy Secretary of State Mark Connolly, former Mayor of Portsmouth Steve Marchand, radio host Ian Freeman, and children's book author Derek Dextraze competed for the Democratic nomination in 2016.

Connolly announced his candidacy for governor in 2015, at which time he declared job creation and improvements in education and innovation among his top campaign issues. Van Ostern cited student loan debt reduction, renewable energy initiatives, and the implementation of a passenger rail train from Boston to Manchester, New Hampshire, as his top priorities.

Several other potential Democratic candidates had been mentioned, including state Representative Jacalyn Cilley, who lost to incumbent Governor Hassan in the 2012 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Cilley ultimately did not file to run in the election and later endorsed fellow Democrat Mark Connolly.

State Rep. Frank Edelblut (R), Executive Councilor Chris Sununu (R), Manchester Mayor Ted Gastas, sales manager Jon Lavoie, and state Sen. Jeanie Forrester competed for the Republican nomination. Edelblut said he would focus his campaign on the economy, family, the environment, and freedom. Sununu said that job creation and wage increases are among his top priorities. Gatsas touted his successes combating drug use in Manchester, while Forrester released several detailed economic plans for the state.

Mayor of Nashua Donnalee Lozeau (R) also gained attention after declining to run for another term as mayor, leaving the door open for a possible gubernatorial campaign in 2016. She ultimately did not file to run for the office.

In June 2016, state Rep. Max Abramson changed his party affiliation from Republican to Libertarian after he filed to run for governor as a Libertarian candidate.

Independent candidates include contractor Bill Fortune and regulatory training project manager Jilletta Jarvis. Businessman Michael Gill also filed to run as an independent candidate but was disqualified by the secretary of state for not being a registered voter.

Northern Pass

A major issue in the 2016 gubernatorial election was the state's response to the proposal of the 192-mile Northern Pass transmission line, which proposes to deliver hydroelectricity from Quebec, Canada, to residents throughout New England. The project, spearheaded by Northern Pass Transmission, LLC, was born from a collaboration between two major utility providers in the region.

Supporters of the Northern Pass have claimed that it would increase the energy supply at a more affordable rate for state residents as well as provide a source of renewable energy for the state. The project would purportedly result in $80 million in savings for consumers, generate $30 million in tax revenue, and designate 5,000 acres of land surrounding the pass for preservation and recreational use.

Opposition to the project has been especially concentrated in Northern New Hampshire, where 40 miles of new transmission lines would need to be constructed. North Country residents and environmental advocacy groups have spurned the project; the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests successfully campaigned for the land that Northern Pass was attempting to acquire to be designated for conservation in 2011, blocking the original planned route. Conservation groups have since continued to fight against alternate proposed routes, resulting in the Northern Pass burying about 7.5 miles of line under the Connecticut River; the Society has stated that the entire line should be underground to preserve the forestlands.

Candidate stances on the Northern Pass

State Sen. Jeanie Forrester (R) was opposed to the project and criticized Executive Councilor Chris Sununu (R) for supporting it. Sununu told the New Hampshire Union Leader that he believed it would reduce energy costs and stimulate the economy. Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas (R) expressed support for Northern Pass but called for a greater percentage of the energy it would carry to be reserved for New Hampshire residents instead of distributed throughout New England. State Sen. Frank Edelblut (R) also supported the project, but called for the transmission line to be buried underground. Jon Lavoie (R) opposes the project.

On the Democratic side, former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand and author Derek Dextraze also panned the project. Marchand stated in a September 6 debate that he was the only candidate "100 percent against both Northern Pass and the death penalty." Former Deputy Secretary of State Mark Connolly and Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern both expressed dissatisfaction with the current proposal but did not outright oppose the idea.

Opioid addiction and the National Guard

Shortly before the primary election, the use of the National Guard to help combat the trafficking of opiates into the state became a topic of contention among Republican candidates. Forrester had sponsored legislation earlier in 2016 to extend the National Guard Counterdrug Program in the state, stating that it "provides military specific skill-sets" that aid local law enforcement. Forrester proposed that the National Guard play an even greater role in combating drug trafficking, which Gatsas and Sununu criticized in a September 6 debate. Gatsas stated that he was not aware that the National Guard had been employed in the conflict, stating, "I talk to the chief of police on a daily basis about the problems we have in [Manchester] and he’s never told me about the National Guard on the front lines fighting this battle." Sununu also questioned the use of the Guard, claiming that the "concept of militarizing the border between New Hampshire and Massachusetts is simply a terrible idea."

Forrester responded that the two candidates lacked appropriate knowledge of the program and to adequately enforce anti drug laws or support prevention programs. "Okay. Wow. I think you need to talk to someone," she said to Gatsas during the debate. Both Sununu and Forrester criticized Gatsas' record as mayor in Manchester, claiming that crime rates, including the rate of drug-related crimes, had risen as a direct result of his tenure.

Gatsas defended his record, pointing to the success of his Safe Station initiative, which designated city fire stations as places that drug addicts could go to seek help without fear of prosecution. "This is not a silver bullet; there's an opportunity here to help people," said Gatsas of the initiative during an interview with the New Hampshire Union Leader. The mayor also pointed to a lack of leadership in the state as the cause of the growing crisis. "Five million [dollars] was approved last November [to combat the opioid crisis] and it still hasn't all gone out yet."

Sununu also criticized leadership in the state for failing to address the crisis but laid the blame on local officials rather than state officials. "We have had no leadership at the local level. We need a completely different mindset to tackle this and take it head on," he said upon announcing his candidacy.

About the office

Governor

Main article: Governor of New Hampshire

The New Hampshire governor is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch, and the occupant of the highest office in the state. The governor is popularly elected every two years by a plurality and has no term limit. The 81st and current governor of New Hampshire is Margaret Hassan (D). She was first elected in 2012 and won re-election in 2014. Hassan previously served in the New Hampshire State Senate from 2004 to 2010.

See also: New Hampshire General Court, New Hampshire House of Representatives, New Hampshire State Senate

Incumbent

Incumbent Governor Maggie Hassan (D) was first elected in 2012, defeating Republican Ovide Lamontagne by a margin of 14 percentage points. She won re-election in 2014 against challenger Walter Havenstein by 5 percentage points. Hassan announced in October 2015 that she would not run for re-election as governor, instead seeking a U. S. Senate seat in 2016.

Hassan served in the New Hampshire State Senate from 2004 until 2010, and, prior to her tenure in state government, worked as an attorney.

State profile

Demographic data for New Hampshire
	New Hampshire	U.S.
Total population:	1,330,111	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	8,953	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	93.7%	73.6%
Black/African American:	1.3%	12.6%
Asian:	2.4%	5.1%
Native American:	0.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0%	0.2%
Two or more:	1.8%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	3.2%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	92.3%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	34.9%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$66,779	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	9.9%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in New Hampshire. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in New Hampshire

New Hampshire voted for the Democratic candidate in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, three are located in New Hampshire, accounting for 1.46 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. New Hampshire had one Retained Pivot County and two Boomerang Pivot Counties, accounting for 0.55 and 8.00 percent of all Retained and Boomerang Pivot Counties, respectively.

More New Hampshire coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in New Hampshire
• United States congressional delegations from New Hampshire
• Public policy in New Hampshire
• Endorsers in New Hampshire
• New Hampshire fact checks
• More...

See also

New Hampshire government:

• New Hampshire state executive offices
• New Hampshire State Legislature
• New Hampshire courts

Previous elections:

• State executive official elections, 2015
• State executive official elections, 2014

Ballotpedia exclusives:

• State executives compensation
• State of the state addresses
• Who runs the states?

External links

Suggest a link

• Office of the New Hampshire Governor

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