After the candidates have spent millions on attack ads, mailers and streaming videos on social media, the voters get to silence all that noise for at least a day by casting ballots in Tuesday’s state primary election.
The infighting continued on the eve of the vote, with candidates for governor keeping their attack ads on the air while mixing them with less negative closing spots.
Republican front-runner Kelly Ayotte of Nashua kept hammering Democratic rival Joyce Craig over homelessness and violent crime in Manchester while Craig was mayor.
Craig and Democratic primary foe Cinde Warmington of Concord kept up their running ad feud in which each claims the other profited from the opioid epidemic.
“So much for a gentle landing, I guess they all believe the stakes are too high or the races are too close to go all positive,” said Neil Levesque, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College during a recent interview.
The most recent polls had the Craig and Warmington race tightening while Ayotte retained a solid lead over her chief challenger, former Senate President Chuck Morse of Salem.
In both congressional districts, no Republican in these crowded primaries has opened up a significant advantage, while in the 2nd Congressional District, Democrats Maggie Goodlander of Nashua and Colin Van Ostern of Concord were locked in a competitive battle to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster as the Democratic nominee.
Goodlander started Monday campaigning with volunteers in Keene’s Central Square.
She ended the day meeting with voters at the Feathered Friend Brewery in Concord with Stonyfield Yogurt co-founder Gary Hirshberg, who flipped from backing Van Ostern to Goodlander last week.
“Tomorrow is a pivotal day and we are just working our hearts out running a New Hampshire-style campaign,” Goodlander said.
Van Ostern made several stops including a house party in Keene on Monday night and promoted a Washington Post editorial writer’s analysis of the race.
“The question is whether, come Tuesday, the national Democrats will outweigh the local connections he’s made over two decades in campaigns and government,” the column concluded.
On this final day of campaigning, Morse emphasized that he would sign legislation to allow bathrooms, locker rooms and prisons to be segregated by biological sex. Outgoing Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed that legislation last month.
“I am the only candidate fully committed to this mission, and I will get the job done as governor,” Morse said.
Secretary of State David Scanlan predicted 251,000 will turn out Tuesday, which would represent about 28% of all registered voters.
Scanlan believes the competitive race for governor and close primaries in both congressional districts will draw more voters in the Republican primary (147,500) than in the Democratic contest (103,500).
Many Democratic observers have said they expect the Democratic turnout to be higher than Scanlan’s pick given that 155,000 showed up the last time there was a contested primary for governor in 2020.
Jen Easterly, director of the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), will join Scanlan to visit several polling places Monday.
“I’m looking forward to showing her how prepared our elected officials are at the local level for this election,” Scanlan said.
During a radio interview Monday, Sununu, who has endorsed Ayotte, said the Democratic contest was tight.
“Running for office isn’t success, serving in office for three terms isn’t success,” Sununu said on “Good Morning New Hampshire” with Jack Heath.
“What you have accomplished was what made success and Joyce Craig was a do-nothing mayor in Manchester.”
Sununu has praised the third Democratic candidate, Newmarket restaurant owner Jon Kiper though even Kiper has questioned it.
2nd CD GOP race got testier
Craig returned to campaign in Nashua Monday with Mayor Jim Donchess, who is backing her.
The campaign released a letter from 30 past and present Manchester officials critical of Ayotte’s and Warmington’s ads about the job Craig did running the state’s largest city.
“It is beyond frustrating to see our resilient and hardworking hometown smeared repeatedly by two millionaires clearly willing to say anything to get elected,” said the letter, with retiring Democratic Sen. Lou D’Allesandro as the top signatory.
“They gleefully punch down at Manchester to try to distract from their records, which for both includes disturbingly cozy relationships with the opioid industry that has ravaged communities across our state for decades.”
Warmington toured a Portsmouth business Monday with that city’s Mayor Deaglan McEachern, who was supporting her.
In the 2nd Congressional District GOP race, Lincoln businessman Vikram Mansharamani charged one of his primary foes, Weare Republican Lily Tang Williams, could not win in the general election, having been a Libertarian Party candidate in Colorado and a member of the Free State movement.
“She has run for office four times, three different offices in two different states in two different parties. She is not electable in my view,” Mansharamani told “New Hampshire Today” radio host Chris Ryan.
Williams has noted Mansharamani was critical of Trump’s immigration policies and praised liberal billionaire George Soros in one of his books.
Dante Scala, professor of politics at the University of New Hampshire, said he’s been surprised how quiet the 1st District GOP race was compared with two years ago when former Trump press aide Karoline Leavitt of Hampton came out of a crowded field to win.
“There have been unknown candidates in both races (Walter McFarlane of Manchester in the 1st, Bill Hamlen of Hanover in the 2nd) spending major money late on TV. They could influence who ends up winning,” Scala added.
