The 2018 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of New Hampshire. Incumbent Republican governor Chris Sununu won re-election to a second term, defeating former state senator Molly Kelly. Sununu was the first incumbent Republican to win reelection as governor since Steve Merrill was reelected in 1994.
Primary elections were held on September 11, 2018. The gubernatorial election was coincident with races for the state legislature and the United States House of Representatives. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state won by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Background
New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with Vermont, where governors are elected to two-year terms. Republican Chris Sununu was elected in the 2016 election.
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Chris Sununu, incumbent governor
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Molly Kelly, former state senator
- Steve Marchand, former mayor of Portsmouth and candidate for governor in 2016
Declined
- Dan Feltes, state senator
- Chris Pappas, Executive Councilor (running for NH-01)
- Colin Van Ostern, former executive councilor and nominee for governor in 2016 (running for Secretary of State)
- Andru Volinsky, Executive Councilor
Libertarian primary
Candidates
Declared
- Aaron Day, former chair of the Free State Project and independent candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016
- Jilletta Jarvis, former secretary of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire and independent candidate for governor in 2016
General election
Endorsements
Molly Kelly (D)
Former U.S. Executive Branch officials
- Hillary Clinton, 67th United States Secretary of State
- Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States
U.S. senators
- Cory Booker, U.S. senator (D-NJ)
- Maggie Hassan, U.S. senator (D-NH) and former governor of New Hampshire
- Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. senator (D-NH) and former governor of New Hampshire
- Elizabeth Warren, U.S. senator (D-MA)
U.S. representatives
- Ann McLane Kuster, U.S. representative (D-NH-2)
Local and state politicians
- Peter Burling, former state senator
- Joyce Craig, Mayor of Manchester
- Lou D'Allesandro, state senator
- Betsi DeVries, former state senator
- Dan Feltes, state senator
- Joe Foster, former attorney general of New Hampshire
- Peggy Gilmour, former state senator
- Martha Hennessey, state senator
- Beverly Hollingworth, former Executive Councilor of New Hampshire and former state senator
- Jay Kahn, state senator
- Sylvia Larsen, former president of the New Hampshire Senate
- Mandy Merrill, former state senator
- Terie Norelli, former speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Deborah Reynolds, former state senator
- Steve Shurtleff, New Hampshire House of Representatives Democratic Minority Leader
- Donna Soucy, State Senate Minority Leader
- Rick Trombly, executive director of NEA-New Hampshire and former state senator
- David Watters, state senator
- Katie Wheeler, former state senator
- Jeff Woodburn, New Hampshire Senate Minority Leader
Individuals
- Misha Collins, actor and former White House intern
- Kathy Sullivan, former chairperson of the New Hampshire Democratic Party
Labor unions
- American Federation of Teachers-New Hampshire
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 633
- National Education Association – New Hampshire Affiliate
- New Hampshire AFL-CIO
- State Employees' Association of New Hampshire/Service Employees International Union Local 1984
Organizations
- EMILY's List
- End Citizens United
Chris Sununu (R)
Polling
%support01020304050604/22/20189/21/202010/18/202011/4/2020Chris SununuMolly KellyOther/UndecidedOpinion polling for the 2018 New Hampshire g...
Results
By county
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Merrimack (largest city: Concord)
By congressional district
Sununu won both congressional districts, which simultaneously elected Democrats.