Three state political leaders have declared bids in the New Hampshire gubernatorial race following the Sept. 15 announcement that Gov. John Lynch, D-N.H., will not seek a fifth term in office in 2012. Former State Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-Exeter, is currently the only Democratic candidate for governor, according to Harrell Kirstein, press secretary for the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Ovide Lamontagne, an attorney and former GOP gubernatorial candidate, and Kevin Smith, a former State representative, will both seek the Republication nomination in the gubernatorial primary elections, which are tentatively scheduled for Sept. 11, Kirstein said.
Both Democratic and Republican political figures interviewed by The Dartmouth agreed that balancing the budget is a major issue for the upcoming election, but were sharply divided on strategies for improving the state's fiscal situation.
State Sen. Matthew Houde, D-Plainfield, criticized Republican measures that reduced state revenue including cutting the cigarette tax and repealing a voter registration surcharge and said that a Democratic governor would help establish "people" as the state's main priority.
"Only looking to one side of the budget balance sheet, i.e. reductions in expenditures, is not a complete answer," Houde said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
State Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, disagreed and said the new governor should instead focus on streamlining the state's "bureaucracy."
"First and foremost, we need a governor that is going to focus on making the state government more efficient and more effective," Bradley said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "The Democrats grew spending by 24 percent, and we cut it by 11 percent this year."
The efforts of the State Republican legislature to reduce spending came at a steep price, according to Kirstein. The New Hampshire Democratic Party calculated that the budget passed that was passed last spring cost New Hampshire nearly 2,000 jobs, she said. Three consecutive polls of citizens conducted by the University of New Hampshire have named Republican lawmakers as one of the top three problems affecting the state.
"The state Republicans have taken a very sharp turn to the right, and the Tea Party ideology does not match up with New Hampshire values or with what New Hampshire voters want," Kirstein said.
Kirstein criticized Smith for his work as the executive director of the conservative think tank Cornerstone Policy Research.
"He has made a career out of using intolerance as a political weapon, and he has been the driving force behind these irresponsible and reckless bills," Kirstein said.
Bradley emphasized the need for a Republican in office in order to "maintain our tax advantage." New Hampshire currently does not have a general sales tax or income tax, which Bradley said benefits the state.
"I don't want to approach the precipice of needing more and more state funding and evenutally needing an income tax," Bradley said. "A Republican governor would help hold the line on spending."
Sources on both ends of the political spectrum had generally favorable views of Lynch's time in office. Lynch "had his finger on the pulse of the New Hampshire voter," Houde said. State Sen. Russell Prescott, R-Kingston, described Lynch as a "good communicator" who "stayed close to the people."
"Compared to most states, the governor has a relatively weak position in our state government," Prescott said. "I don't agree with everything he did, but he always represented the state well and put us in a good light."
Lynch, who is an ex officio member of Dartmouth's Board of Trustees due to his position as New Hampshire governor, is stepping down as governor to allow "the next generation of leadership" to serve New Hampshire, he said during his September announcement at Northwest Elementary School in Manchester.
Representatives from the Lamontagne and Smith campaigns did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
