Lynch Won't Run For Re-Election
Updated 11:16 a.m.
New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) will not seek a record fifth term, he announced Thursday morning , setting the stage for another toss-up governor's race in 2012.
"Democracy demands periodic change, to refresh and revive itself," Lynch said at a press conference in Manchester. "Democracy needs new leaders and new ideas."
"I think it's time for the next generation of leadership in New Hampshire," he added.
Lynch's decision was first reported by WMUR's James Pindell and NHJournal.com, a Granite State political website. Lynch would have been in strong position had he decided to run; the latest Granite State Poll, conducted for WMUR by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, pegged his job approval rating at 56 percent, while just 21 percent disapproved (Though that survey, conducted among 512 New Hampshire adults between April 18-28, is a bit dated).
Several Republicans have been positioning themselves as potential challengers in recent months, including 2010 Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne and social conservative activist Kevin Smith. Those two hail from the right side of the Republican coalition within the state, while other more moderate candidates like former state Sen. Bruce Keough, former state Health and Human Services Commissioner John Stephen and Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas are generating buzz.
Gatsas told WMUR earlier this year he will run for re-election and will not seek the governorship.
Democrats have largely been sidelined while Lynch mulled another campaign, but sources say former state Sen. Maggie Hassan and former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand are likely to join the race. Mark Connolly, who served as head of the state's Securities Regulation panel, and current Portsmouth Mayor Tom Ferrini have also held conversations with prominent Democrats about getting in the race. Former state Sen. Jackie Cilley (D) is likely to run with backing from the labor community.
Lynch won his first election in 2004, defeating incumbent Gov. Craig Benson (R) by a narrow margin. He won re-election in 2006 and 2008 by huge margins (New Hampshire and Vermont are the only two states that hold gubernatorial elections every two years), and he was one of the few New Hampshire Democrats to survive a Republican tidal wave in 2010.
Lynch's decision not to try for another term means this will be the first election cycle since 1996 that neither Lynch nor Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D) will be on the ballot. Shaheen won three terms as governor, then lost a 2002 Senate bid to John E. Sununu.
Join the Discussion
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus