During a recent NH News Recap on New Hampshire Public Radio, Anna Brown, executive director of the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership & Public Policy, described several primary races as unusually combative.
Listen here for the full interview. And listen to Brown during NHPR's live primary election result coverage on Tuesday, Sept. 10, from 8 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, is the primary election; check with your town website for voting locations and hours.
In the Second Congressional District race, Democrat Maggie Goodlander, a former U.S. Supreme Court law clerk andformer White House advisor, and Colin Van Ostern, a former executive councilor, are not far apart on the issues, Brown said, but they have been highly critical of each other. “It’s been a little surprising. I can’t immediately remember a New Hampshire primary that got this nasty this fast.”
Voting booth in Manchester's Ward 2.
GOP candidates have pressed each other on certain issues, with Vikram Mansharamani, an author and entrepreneur, seeming a bit more aggressive than he was in 2022, Brown said, pressing candidate Lily Tang Williams to disavow former president Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Williams equivocated and questioned the honesty of the election.
The gubernatorial race has also been harsh, particularly among Democrats Joyce Craig, former mayor of Manchester and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, Brown said. “The difference here I think is that this could potentially hurt both candidates in the general direction,” she said. “The CD 2 leans left already, and has a Democratic edge, but it’s going to be hard for Craig or Warmington to shake off these criticisms when they ultimately face the Republican nominee.”
On the GOP side, former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte appears to have the support of institutional Republicans and a huge war chest. Former state Senate President Chuck Morse, Brown said, has an uphill battle. “If you get a lot more of the farther right voters, who tend to show up in primaries, then maybe that could give Morse an edge.”
Brown described the GOP field in the First Congressional District race as huge and wide open. Seven Republican candidates are vying to run against Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas. Former Executive Councilor Russell Prescott may have a slight edge due in large part to name recognition, she said, though the race remains up for grabs.
Brown has also been closely watching several state Senate races, including Senate District 23, with GOP State Rep. Emily Phillips challenging three-term Republican state Sen. Bill Gannon. “The money race is pretty close. And it’s an interesting test for more libertarian-oriented, right-wing Republicans who are trying to topple one of the more-established members of the Republican party.”
