Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern easily defeated his two Democratic opponents in Tuesday’s gubernatorial primary, while the Republican race came down to a political unknown standing up to one of the most-recognized names in state politics.
Executive Councilor Chris Sununu faced a surprisingly close challenge from GOP newcomer Frank Edelblut, a first-term state representative from Wilton.
“We still don’t know where this is going to end up,” Sununu told the crowd at an election night party at the Portsmouth Country Club. “We feel very good.”
Edelblut shut down his campaign party before midnight. Noting the closeness of the race, he kept his remarks brief.
“Colin Van Ostern is not going to be our next governor,” he said. “Thank you. Let’s see what it looks like tomorrow.”
By 12:30 a.m., with 93 percent of the votes counted, Sununu was up over Edelblut 32,507 to 31,391, a difference of about 1,100 votes.
The Democratic race ended early in the night when Van Ostern, 37, handily beat former Portsmouth mayor Steve Marchand and Seacoast businessman Mark Connolly.
“This campaign isn’t about me or whoever the Republicans choose later this evening,” Van Ostern said.
When the Associated Press called the Democratic race for Van Ostern at 8:30 p.m., it was so early that some of his supporters didn’t hear the announcement.
However, the cheers came in loud and clear when Connolly, of New Castle, conceded shortly after the race was called. He came in third with about 20 percent of the vote.
Connolly congratulated Van Ostern and called him “a good standard bearer to continue the work of Gov. Hassan.”
Marchand surged late in the race, but finished second place with 25 percent of the vote and conceded during his primary night party in Portsmouth.
In victory, Van Ostern reiterated many of the same issues he’s brought up on the campaign trail, including expanding commuter rail, making Medicaid Expansion permanent and supporting funding for Planned Parenthood.
“You can find success by finding ways we can win together,” Van Ostern said. “We can move our state forward the New Hampshire way. We’ll leave politics at the door.”
Sununu and Edelblut jockeyed back and forth for first place throughout the night, as precincts reported their vote tallies. Voter turnout was relatively low. Sununu won Salem, but Edelblut claimed victory in Nashua.
“It’s wonderful to have a tight race. I am not worried,” said Lloyd Graves, one of several Sununu supporters who lingered at the primary party after the candidate spoke.
Sununu, whose family is one of the most well known in New Hampshire politics, benefited from high name recognition in the crowded four-candidate Republican field.
Throughout the campaign, however, the Republican tried to distance himself from his father, former Gov. John H. Sununu and brother, former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu. He regularly said he wanted to run on his own merits and record as CEO of Waterville Valley Ski Resort and an Executive Councilor representing a district along the Seacoast.
Throughout the race, Sununu has been a target of his Republican competitors; he faced some of the race’s only televised attack ads and was frequently criticized during debates.
Sununu held signs in Manchester on Tuesday morning on a last-ditch campaign swing through the state. He said he was expecting a win, but declined to name a specific margin of victory.
“Whether 20 points or one vote, it doesn’t matter to me,” he said.
Political observers expected a close race between Sununu and Ted Gatsas, but Edelblut overtook the Manchester mayor early in the night.
Edelblut, a businessman who sold his company Control Solutions in 2009, was virtually unknown to voters when he jumped into the race. But he has gained a strong following among Libertarian-leaning Republicans with his message of reducing government regulation, lowering healthcare costs and reforming public education.
Dennis McKean, a Grafton man who supported Edelblut’s campaign since it launched, said he expected conservative voters in rural New Hampshire to identify far more closely with Edelblut than his competitors. He said Edelblut strikes people as an “average, ordinary guy” to whom they can relate.
“Anybody can get up at the podium and tell lies and tell how they’re going to make things better so quickly, but to be honest and truthful and tell people, ‘We might be able to steal a crumb here and there to get things back,’ that’s about as honest as you can get,” he said. “You’re not going to change things overnight.”
Mar-Mar Rogers of Hollis hosted three of the four Republican candidates for governor, but found flaws with Edelblut’s competitors.
“Sununu flip flops and promises one thing and then votes another way. Gatsas hasn’t really been the most fiscally responsible mayor,” she said. “All the way around, you can’t beat Frank when it comes to the best candidate.”
Both Gatsas and Meredith state Senator Jeanie Forrester conceded the race early in the night and trailed the leaders by near double digits. The third-place finish is a crushing blow to Gatsas, who during his two decades in state politics has not lost a single election out of 24.
“I’ve seen you in this room before, and it’s been here for victories, but you know what, we have to be as tough in a loss as we are in the victories,” he told a crowd gathered at the Derryfield Country Club. He finished with about 21 percent of the vote.
While Gatsas, 66, gained traction in Manchester and the surrounding towns, exit polls show Gatsas’ campaign failed to make ground outside the state’s southern tier. Gatsas told supporters he will be happy to return to his role leading Manchester and will continue working to accomplish all the things he said he’d do as governor.
Even with a good showing in televised debates last week, Forrester came in last out of the Republican candidates. The Meredith state senator was the first to concede after failing to pull enough votes in the state’s heavily populated southern tier. She finished with about 18 percent of the vote.
The candidates are vying to replace Democrat Maggie Hassan, the state’s two-term governor who is now seeking to unseat Republican Kelly Ayotte in the U.S. Senate. The open governor’s race has drawn little voter enthusiasm or attention over the summer.