Democratic Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky conceded the race for the Democratic nomination for governor Wednesday morning, twelve hours after state Sen. Dan Feltes claimed victory.
Speaking in front of the New Hampshire State House, Volinsky – a Concord attorney whose entry into New Hampshire politics kicked off with the Council in 2016 – acknowledged election results that showed him losing by about 6,000 votes.
“Now is the time to act with humility and grace and congratulate Dan and his team and wish them well in the November election against Sununu, the governor from Eversource, the guy who with every veto shows that he has failed the state because he stops bipartisan legislation over and over again,” Volinsky said.
Late Tuesday evening, as Feltes rallied staff and supporters with a Concord speech declaring victory, Volinsky had declined to immediately concede the race, requesting that all votes be counted. By 11 a.m. Wednesday, the Associated Press had called the race for Feltes with about 95 percent of votes counted.
“We all owe Andru a debt of gratitude for his years of service, dedication, and determination to ensure all of our children have access to equitable public education that allows them to live up to their potential,” Feltes said Wednesday. “We will continue this fight, together.”
Though the Democratic candidates were aligned on many issues, Volinsky had sought to paint himself as the more progressive option, citing his opposition to a natural gas pipeline and his refusal to sign the “pledge” disavowing a broad-based sales or income tax.
Volinsky had argued that the increase in New Hampshire property taxes had reached an unsustainable point that necessitated the state to rethink its taxation system, and he banked on the message working.
In the end, voters chose the more traditional Democratic approach of Feltes, who supports closing tax loopholes for business but otherwise leaving the environment the same.
In an interview Thursday morning, Volinsky said he hoped his candidacy had opened the door further for the state Democratic party to seriously consider changing the state’s approaches to taxes. And he pointed to some down-ballot Democratic candidates for the Legislature that have recently stated their openness to a broad-based state tax to help alleviate local property taxes, a proposition long anathema in the Granite State.
“It in part is the Democrats’ messaging,” Volinsky said. “You have to be willing to take it on and be honest with people. And Democrats and Republicans have promised for too long that you could have everything you want and not have to pay for it.”
His candidacy was intentionally set up to bring the issue to the fore and “(extend) the conversation so that others could come in behind me,” Volinsky said.
The future for the Concord attorney – known for his role in the Claremont state Supreme Court school funding decision in the late 1990s – is up in the air.
“Well, we’re going to Denver,” he said, referring to a trip he and his wife Amy will take to visit their son Josh, his wife, Lauren, and their granddaughter. “That’s as far as the planning goes right now. Amy and I will take some time to assess what comes next. It’s never a good idea to do it in the heat of the moment.
He continued: “Everything’s on the table. Everything’s under consideration. I’m really proud of how this campaign went, and so wherever it takes me, it takes me.”
(Ethan DeWitt can be reached at 369-3307, edewitt@cmonitor.com, or on Twitter at @edewittNH.)