Four-term Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H., will not seek re-election in 2012, he announced in a press conference at a Manchester elementary school on Sept. 15. Lynch's retirement clears the way for a competitive gubernatorial race in an already contentious general election year, according to party spokespeople and political experts interviewed by The Dartmouth.
In his speech to a crowd of students, teachers and reporters at Northwest Elementary School in Manchester, Lynch said it was time for "the next generation of leadership" to serve New Hampshire.
"I feel like I have the passion and energy to keep doing this work for a long, long time," Lynch said in the speech. "But democracy demands periodic change. To refresh and revive itself, democracy needs new leaders and new ideas. Institutions must be challenged in new ways to stay vibrant and relevant."
Lynch serves as an ex officio member of Dartmouth's Board of Trustees due to his position as governor of New Hampshire.
Lynch, the former president and CEO of Knoll, Inc. a nationwide furniture manufacturer is the first governor of New Hampshire to serve four two-year terms, the Concord Monitor reported. In the 2004 election, Lynch defeated incumbent Republican Craig Benson in the gubernatorial race, and proceeded to win both the 2006 and 2008 races by significant majorities. Lynch's successful 2010 campaign was a rare victory for the Democrats in an election that witnessed Republicans taking large majorities in both the state House and Senate.
Government professor Linda Fowler said Lynch would have likely retained his position as governor had he run in the 2012 election, but that it appears Lynch chose to step down for personal reasons.
"He served four terms, one of them an unprecedented fourth term," Fowler said. "That's a long time in electoral politics, and the cost of being in public office is high. I think most people believe his reasons for stepping down were personal rather than political."
Fowler acknowledged that it may have been in Lynch's self-interest to step down before New Hampshire voters agreed that it was time for a change in state leadership.
"I think people forget that [Lynch] took over from Craig Benson, the Republican governor who had a troubled one-term tenure, and that the state has been pretty stable and well run under [Lynch's] term," she said. "Lynch will go out of office with a sterling reputation and a lot of affection from New Hampshirites."
In his speech, Lynch said that although he is retiring, he will continue to pursue policies that aim to achieve his political goals over the next 16 months. Lynch affirmed his administration's commitment to helping communities affected by Hurricane Irene, maintaining a balanced budget, decreasing the state unemployment rate and lowering New Hampshire's high school dropout rate to zero.
Local Republicans responded quickly to the announcement of Lynch's retirement. Phil Cox, the executive director of the Republican Governors Association, released a statement forecasting that Lynch's decision not to run would help the GOP strengthen its presence in New Hampshire.
"New Hampshire Republicans were already fired up at the prospect of turning the state red in 2012," Cox said. "John Lynch's decision to forego a re-election bid increases the GOP's chances of picking up the governorship and puts the Democrats further on their heels nationally in 2012."
Elisabeth Smith '05, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Governors Association, said she expects the results of the 2010 election to deter voters from electing a Republican candidate.
"After the 2010 elections, the voters in New Hampshire saw the ramifications of handing over power to Tea Party Republicans," Smith said. "Every election involves a choice, and this one will come down to a Democratic candidate who will continue Lynch's legacy or a Republican who will march with Tea Party Republicans."
Smith expressed specific concerns regarding Ovide Lamontagne's declaration of his gubernatorial candidacy. Lamontagne currently the only person from either party who has confirmed an intention to run for seat is an attorney and former Republican Senate candidate.
"Lamontagne is someone who has run as a Tea Party candidate in the past and would offer no check on Tea Party Republicans in the New Hampshire state House," Smith said.
Although no Democrats have officially declared their intention to run, several have indicated that they are contemplating entering the race. Both former state Senate Majority Leader Maggie Hassan and former Portsmouth Mayor Steve Marchand said they had been exploring the possibility of running and would decide soon, the Monitor reported.
Fowler said there are plenty of Democrats interested in the job, but that none of current would-be candidates have "statewide name recognition."
Fowler also said that even if Lynch had not retired, he would have had a tough campaign ahead of him.
"There are a lot of Republicans who want New Hampshire's flirtation with being a purple state to be short-lived, so Lynch was going to have a vigorous campaign against him anyway," Fowler said. "New Hampshire is a swing state right now."
Lynch's spokesman, Colin Manning, said Lynch has no intentions to run for another office after leaving his position as governor in January 2013, the Monitor reported.
Lynch's office did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
