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The Dartmouth
July 15, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Benson campaigns for gov. in Hanover

Republican Craig Benson, the current front-runner in the New Hampshire gubernatorial race, focused on taxes and the state economy during a lunchtime campaign event in Hanover yesterday.

Though publicized as a meeting between Benson and the College Republicans, the lunchtime event saw a very low turn out of Dartmouth students, with most of the crowd made up of local supporters and campaign contributors.

Enjoying a solid lead over Democratic rival Mark Fernald, Benson's talk paid major attention to taxes, a key point of debate between the two candidates. Benson dismissed Fernald's plan for an income tax as "ineffective," saying that income taxes will neither improve the government's budget nor lighten the tax burden on Granite State residents.

With questions of how to fund these tasks looming, Benson discussed alternative methods of attaining cash flow, which he listed as "growing the state budget while keeping inflation at the same or lower rate, capturing the savings of New Hampshire and taxing out-of-state businesses for profits made in state."

The economy -- another key concern for voters heading into the Nov. 5 elections -- was described by Benson as "stagnant, if not failing." He said that the economy will improve if families will continue to live in New Hampshire and consequently reinvest money in the state.

Benson also indirectly addressed his apparent lack of political experience -- a major point of attack for the Fernald campaign -- citing his entrepreneurial "can-do" attitude as a reason why he will make the Granite State more successful.

Fernald's campaign has strongly criticized Benson due to his high campaign spending, financed with money he earned after founding corporate giant Cabletron.

Benson's spending has made this the most expensive campaign in New Hampshire history, and is so high that his dollars-per-voter could break the current record, set by Michael Bloomberg during the last New York City mayoral race. Bloomberg's 2001 campaign spent $100 per voter.

Benson also tied in one of his goals to a Fernald attack linking his business past to the recent string of nationwide corporate scandals, citing that his background provides an inherent relationship between himself and other "corporate types," and thus a more attractive setting for new industries.

The few Dartmouth students in the crowd of 20 Benson supporters said they were impressed by his speaking ability. Kimmy Powell '04 said Benson was "well-spoken, and he addressed questions well."

Benson also discussed New Hampshire's educational system. He supports a unique plan to have businesses fund charter schools, which would help pay for education costs and also to "provide a mentor for students who are forgetting what school is for."

When asked to evaluate the performance of current governor Jeanne Shaheen (D), Benson said, "It's not my job to evaluate her. All I'll say is that things need to be done differently in the next four years."

Shaheen is running for one of New Hampshire's seats in the U.S. Senate rather than seeking reelection.