Colin Van Ostern’s former Democratic rivals rallied behind him Thursday at a breakfast in Manchester focused on party unity. The focus fell squarely on the governor’s race, Democrats’ only big-ticket competition in the recent state primary.
“We all need to be all-in for Colin, because the future of New Hampshire looks a hell of lot more like Colin than it does Chris Sununu,” former Portsmouth mayor Steve Marchand said, referencing the GOP gubernatorial nominee.
Van Ostern, a two-term Executive Councilor from Concord, easily defeated his challengers: businessman Mark Connolly and Marchand. Van Ostern earned 52 percent of the vote, to Marchand’s 25 and Connolly’s 20.
Connolly praised Van Ostern as a man of “integrity” and a “person of vision.”
Democrats have held the corner office since 2005, when John Lynch defeated one-term Republican Craig Benson. But the GOP is mounting a serious challenge with Sununu, whose father is former governor John H. Sununu. Sununu narrowly won his own primary, beating out first-term state Rep. Frank Edelblut by 804 votes.
Unlike the Republican primary, the Democratic race featured few attacks between the candidates.
Brad Kuster, husband of U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, praised Marchand and Connolly for keeping it civil. Van Ostern led Kuster’s campaign for Congress in 2010. “Probably most important, there was no mudslinging, there was no name-calling, as opposed to what happened on the other side,” he said.
While candidates took jabs at the GOP, Marchand urged the party to be “aspirational” in its messaging and “happy warriors” on the trail.
Van Ostern ticked off a list of priorities that included bringing commuter rail from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, supporting Planned Parenthood and making expanded Medicaid permanent.
Near the close of the breakfast, Senate Minority Leader Jeff Woodburn warned the party not to be complacent in the race.
“Don’t underestimate the strength of the Republicans!” he said.
(Allie Morris can be reached at 369-3307 or amorris@cmonitor.com.)