From billboards to lawn signs to TV commercials, New Hampshire Republicans’ effort to lambast Democratic gubernatorial challenger Cinde Warmington for her past professional ties to the opioid industry is hard to miss.
“I hate that ad,” said Mike Tate Sr., looking out from under the brim of a worn khaki NH Audubon cap. “The one that Kelly has used over and over and over again about the OxyContin.”
Tate Sr. is a Concord resident who voted in the Democratic primary on Tuesday alongside his son, also named Mike Tate.
Tate Sr. thinks the criticism of Warmington, who previously lobbied on behalf of the drug company, is unfair. “She did what she thought was right at the time,” he said.
Despite his defense of her record, Tate Sr. doesn’t think Warmington is a strong nominee for governor, even in a year when Democrats are favored nationwide.
“She’s not as charismatic as Kelly Ayotte is,” he said.
Beyond a narrowing primary for U.S. Senate, Democrats in Concord faced few truly competitive races near the top of the primary ticket this year. Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander held a wide lead in her race over progressive state Rep. Paige Beauchemin. After a heated primary two years ago, the state senator in this district, Tara Reardon, is running unopposed. Both are heavily favored to win the general election as well.
Democrats, however, hope to ride the turning of the national mood against Republicans to unseat incumbent Governor Kelly Ayotte. Local Democrats at the polls, while admiring Warmington’s credentials and intelligence, were divided over whether she stood a good chance.
Liberal voters broadly agreed that they wanted a more competitive primary and criticized the New Hampshire Democratic Party for not cultivating a more dynamic and competitive field.
“Buckley has been in place for far too long, and I don’t think our choices are particularly strong on the Democratic side,” said Michael Sartorelli, referencing the longtime chairman of the state party, Ray Buckley. “You’re talking about the highest position in our state government. There was only one choice, and to me that’s just sad.”
Buckley previously told the Monitor that interest from other candidates wasn’t there. And given that Warmington had long signaled that she would run again, he said in June, “It would be foolhardy for us to then encourage somebody to run only to then lose in a primary.”
As she cast her own ballot a few blocks from her downtown Concord home, Warmington underlined her pitch to voters, focusing on Ayotte’s track record so far. The governor, Warmington said, has not improved the affordability of housing, electricity or childcare.
“In fact, she’s made it worse for Granite Staters every single day,” Warmington said. “She’s done nothing to help the people of New Hampshire.”
A recent poll by the University of New Hampshire found Warmington running ten percentage points behind Ayotte, who had widened her lead in recent months.
Outside the polls, Anne Zinkin described Warmington as reasonable, smart and “on the right side of the issues.”
However, even as a firm supporter of the former executive councilor, Zinkin wasn’t confident about her party’s odds of retaking the corner office.
She and other fellow voters on Tuesday described the race as a rematch.
Two years ago, Warmington lost the primary to former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, who in turn lost decisively to Ayotte.
While Warmington didn’t face the current governor directly last time, Zinkin said, “She’s already lost once. That concerns me a lot.”
Granite Staters tend to like their incumbent governors. Only one, Craig Benson, has lost a re-election bid in the last fifty years.
In Zinkin’s view, Ayotte is a well-known and well-liked Republican. She doesn’t think her party is likely to buck the trend.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been in the governor’s mansion, or whatever we have here,” she said.
Tate Sr. wanted more candidates to choose from. He took it as the party sending its attention elsewhere.
“It’s kind of a sign that they’re giving up,” he said.
Adam Pignatelli of Concord praised Warmington’s and her husband Bill Christie’s longstanding work in state Democratic politics.
“They’ve done a lot of work to really build up that trust and knowledge among Democrats,”
Pignatelli said. Still, he thinks contested primaries are positive.
“I wish other people were running,” he said. “It forces people to talk about the issues.”
As for Warmington’s odds against Ayotte, Pignatelli said it’s still early.
“It’s not really a race yet.”
