Three candidates are running in the general election for Governor of New Hampshire on Nov. 5

Joyce Craig (D), Kelly Ayotte (R), and Stephen Villee (L) are running in the general election for Governor of New Hampshire on Nov. 5, 2024. Incumbent Chris Sununu (R) did not run for re-election.

As of Sept. 17, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato’s Crystal Ball all rated the election a Toss-Up.

Craig was Mayor of Manchester from 2017 to 2024. She previously served on Manchester’s school board and as a city alderman. Craig earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Hampshire. Before running for public office, she was an account executive at the advertising agency Hill Holiday and worked for Viacord, a biotech startup.

Craig is running on her record. Her website says that as mayor, she “created thousands of good-paying jobs, worked with law enforcement to reduce violent crime by nearly 40%, and delivered thousands of housing units to the city.” If elected governor, her website says she wants to “give New Hampshire families the opportunities they need to succeed by strengthening our public schools, increasing affordable housing, and protecting access to abortion.”

Ayotte was New Hampshire’s attorney general from 2004 to 2009 and served in the U.S. Senate from 2011 to 2017. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania State University and a law degree from Villanova University School of Law. She previously worked as an associate at McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton, as a prosecutor for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office, and as legal counsel for Gov. Craig Benson (R).

Ayotte is running on her record as attorney general and senator. As attorney general, Ayotte’s website says she worked with law enforcement and successfully prosecuted the murder of Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs. In the U.S. Senate, Ayotte’s website says she “defended our Constitution and fought back against the overreach of the Obama/Biden Administration,” and “was a steadfast advocate for securing our southern border, reining in Washington’s wasteful spending, strengthening our U.S. Military, and protecting New Hampshire from criminals and drugs.” Ayotte says she “will ensure that New Hampshire is safe, prosperous, and free. I will fight to keep our streets safe, make New Hampshire schools number one in the country, protect our economic advantage, and not only defend our Live Free or Die spirit but strengthen it.”

On Sept. 10, 2024, Politico reported that national groups also targeted the election leading up to the primary, with the Democratic Governor’s Association spending $9 million on advertisements criticizing Ayotte and the Republican Governors Association donating more than $2 million to Ayotte’s campaign through an affiliated group. New Hampshire is one of two battleground states the Democratic Governors Association is targeting in 2024 with its Power to Appoint Fund, the other being North Carolina. The fund focuses on electing Democratic governors in battleground states because of their roles in appointing justices to the states’ supreme courts.

This election will help determine New Hampshire’s trifecta and triplex statuses. Heading into the 2024 elections, New Hampshire has a Republican trifecta and triplex. All 424 seats of the state legislature are up for election this year.

This is one of 11 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2024. The governor serves as a state’s top executive official and is the only executive office elected in all 50 states. There are currently 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 11 gubernatorial elections taking place in 2024.

Heading into the 2024 elections, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control. There are 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state’s governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.