The list of candidates vying to be the next governor is getting longer for both parties as former Portsmouth mayor Steve Marchand announced his bid for governor office Thursday morning.
Marchand is the third Democrat to enter the race, and on Wednesday evening, state Sen. Jeanie Forrester became the fourth Republican running to try to replace Gov. Maggie Hassan.
Marchand joins Concord Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern and New Castle businessman Mark Connolly in the Democratic race for governor. Hassan announced she will not seek re-election and instead pursue a seat in the U.S. Senate, running against Republican incumbent Kelly Ayotte.
Republican candidates include Forrester, Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, Newfields Executive Councilor Chris Sununu and Wilton Rep. Frank Edelblut.
Announcing his campaign at the Hope for NH Recovery center in Manchester, Marchand said if elected governor, his top priority would be trying to solve the state’s opioid epidemic.
Led on a tour of the center by recovery advocate and make-up artist Kriss Blevins, Marchand said he believes the state can reverse the tide of addiction and overdoses in low-cost, efficient ways.
“You’ve got to ask big questions, listen to the people who are living it every day, listen, learn, decide and then lead,” Marchand said. “I think that’s the best way to make decisions, especially on big issues.”
The state’s opioid crisis, which claimed more than 400 lives in 2015, is quickly emerging as a top issue in the governor’s race.
At Forrester’s annoucement event Wednesday night, she said she would put additional resources toward early-prevention programs for children and adolescents.
At the same time, Forrester promised to institute harsher penalties for drug dealers, saying those selling drugs that result in fatal overdoses would be tried for murder and face life in prison without parole if convicted.
Republican candidate and Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas has also made heroin and opioids one of the biggest focuses of his campaign for governor, arguing to expand the state’s treatment capacity and crack down on drug dealers.
Marchand did not go into specifics on the type of prevention, treatment and law enforcement initiatives he would back as governor, but said he believes New Hampshire doesn’t have to spend millions to deal with the issue.
“The more you hear, the more you realize it’s a relatively small amount of money,” he said, saying recovery advocates have estimated it would only take $10 million or less to put a dent in the state’s drug problem.
On all issues, Marchand touted himself as a bipartisan problem solver with experience in public service to back him up.
“I think one of the leadership skills required to do well is somebody who is explicitly good at working in a bipartisan way, who is extremely analytical in nature in the way they attack the problem,” he said. “There’s a humility that’s required to be a really good governor.”
Marchand served as mayor of Portsmouth from 2006 to 2007, and also previously served two years as city councilor.
His decision to run came just a few weeks ago, Marchand said. After former Portsmouth city councilor Stephany Shaheen announced she would not run for the governor’s seat earlier this month, Marchand said he started getting unsolicited nudges from people to consider his own bid.
“This is a pretty recent decision,” he said. “This is something that not even a month ago, my wife, Sandi, and myself and friends were thinking about.”
In addition to the opioid crisis, Marchand said the other top issues of his campaign include bolstering elementary and secondary education in the state and improving New Hampshire’s economy. He said the two topics are closely related, arguing that a good public school system draws families and businesses to the state.
He said he’d like to see the state’s public education system be ranked number one nationwide and would push that agenda if elected governor.
“It saves you money in the long run,” he said.
Marchand said he is opposed to sales and income taxes in New Hampshire and also said that he would oppose efforts to bring casinos into the state, an issue Hassan has supported in the past.
“There are other ways we can balance our budget,” he said.
(Ella Nilsen can be reached at 369-3322, enilsen@cmonitor.com or on Twitter
@ella_nilsen.)