As Sununu Gives Final State of the State Address, Granite Staters Prepare to Elect a Democratic Governor in 2024

As Sununu Gives Final State of the State Address, Granite Staters Prepare to Elect a Democratic Governor in 2024

As New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu gives his final State of the State address this afternoon, Granite Staters will be reminded of all he has failed to accomplish over his last four terms.

“No matter what Gov. Sununu says today, Granite Staters know he is leaving the state worse off than he found it,” said DGA Deputy Communications Director Izzi Levy. “This year, voters will have the opportunity to reverse course on some of the state’s toughest challenges, and choose a governor who will work to bring down housing costs, codify reproductive freedom, and protect public education. Chuck Morse and Kelly Ayotte have proven they have no interest in making life better for Granite Staters, and we look forward to continuing to remind Granite Staters of the stakes of this election leading up to November.”

Gov. Sununu signed the first modern abortion ban in New Hampshire’s history, with no exceptions for rape and incest and which calls for civil and criminal penalties for doctors and health care professionals, and later bragged about it, claiming he has “done more on the pro-life issue…than anyone.”

New polling finds that 64% of Granite Staters want a governor who will protect abortion rights – compared to only 26% who want a governor that would restrict abortion rights, and 67% said that abortion should be legal in either all or most cases. Based on their records, both Kelly Ayotte and Chuck Morse would follow in Gov. Sununu’s footsteps to further restrict Granite Staters’ access to reproductive health care.

Under Gov. Sununu, New Hampshire has taken part in a dangerous school voucher scheme that steals money from public schools and gives it to private schools. This not only threatens to raise taxes on New Hampshire families, but also threatens the ability for schools to stay open, particularly in rural areas. A state report last year also found that Sununu’s signature education accomplishment is millions of dollars over budget, and that the majority of the funds have benefited students and families that weren’t enrolled in public schools to begin with. Both Morse and Ayotte support the dangerous voucher scheme and would put funding for public education at further risk.

Another of New Hampshire’s biggest challenges is the ongoing housing crisis that has priced thousands of families out of homes and neighborhoods. The state’s median cost for a single-family home has skyrocketed past the national average to $450,000. The lack of housing poses a major threat to the state’s economy and workforce – without access to affordable housing, businesses are left without employees and could be forced to leave the state.

In the hours after Sununu announced his retirement, the New Hampshire governor’s race immediately became Democrats’ “best gubernatorial pickup opportunity” according to Inside Elections, and other key race analysts shifted their ranking of the state to “toss up.”

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