The 2024 New Hampshire gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2024 to elect the governor of New Hampshire. Incumbent Republican Gov. Chris Sununu did not seek election to a fifth term.
Primary elections took place on September 10, 2024. Republican former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte won the Republican nomination with 63% of the vote over former state senate president Chuck Morse, and Democratic former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig won the Democratic nomination with 48% of the vote over state executive councilor Cinde Warmington.
Ayotte won the general election, defeating Craig by a 9.34% margin. The election was the closest gubernatorial race for a U.S. state in the 2024 cycle. Along with neighboring Vermont, this race was one of two Republican-held governorships up for election in 2024 in a state Joe Biden won in the 2020 presidential election.
Background
New Hampshire is a Democratic-leaning state in New England with a pattern of split-ticket voting. Incumbent Republican governor Chris Sununu was narrowly elected in 2016 and won re-election in 2018, 2020, and 2022 despite Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump losing the state in both 2016 and 2020. Sununu opted not to seek re-election in 2024.
This race was widely considered a tossup due to the incumbent retiring, the state's pattern of ticket splitting, and the concurrent 2024 presidential election.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Kelly Ayotte, former U.S. senator (2011–2017)
Eliminated in primary
- Shaun Fife, farmer
- Robert McClory, welder
- Richard McMenamon, auto repair shop owner and candidate for governor in 2022
- Chuck Morse, former president of the New Hampshire Senate, former acting governor, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022
- Frank Staples, transitional living program owner
Declined
- Jeb Bradley, president of the New Hampshire Senate and former U.S. representative for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district
- Scott Brown, former U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (2017–2020), former U.S. senator from Massachusetts (2010–2013), and nominee for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire in 2014
- Frank Edelblut, commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Education, former state representative, and candidate for governor in 2016
- Chris Sununu, incumbent governor (endorsed Ayotte)
Results
Ayotte secured a major victory over Morse, winning almost two thirds of the vote. She performed the best in Sullivan County in the southwest of the state, earning 74% of the vote. Conversely, she recorded her worst result in Rockingham County in the southeast, receiving just 54.7% of the vote.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Joyce Craig, former mayor of Manchester
Eliminated in primary
- Jon Kiper, former Newmarket town councilor
- Cinde Warmington, New Hampshire executive councilor
Declined
- Annie Kuster, U.S. representative for New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district
- Steve Marchand, former mayor of Portsmouth and candidate for governor in 2016 and 2018
- Chris Pappas, U.S. representative for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district (ran for re-election)
- Tom Sherman, former state senator and nominee for governor in 2022
Endorsements
Joyce Craig
Governors
- John Lynch, former governor of New Hampshire (2005–2013)
- Maura Healey, governor of Massachusetts (2023–present)
U.S. representatives
- Chester Atkins, former U.S. representative from MA-5 (1985–1993)
New Hampshire cabinet officials
- Virginia Barry, former commissioner of education (2009–2017)
- James Craig, former commissioner of labor (2013–2017) and former state representative (1998–2006, 2008–2010)
- Colin Van Ostern, former New Hampshire executive councilor from the 2nd district (2013–2017)
- Ned Helms, former commissioner of health and human services (1979–1982)
Judicial officials
- John Broderick Jr., former New Hampshire Supreme Court chief justice (2004–2010)
- Arthur Gajarsa, former U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit judge (1997–2011)
State legislators
- 10 current and former state senators
- 69 current and former New Hampshire state representatives
Local officials
- Kevin Cavanaugh, Manchester alderman from the 1st ward (2015–present) and former state senator from the 16th district (2017–2022)
- Jim Donchess, mayor of Nashua (2016–present)
Party officials
- Kathy Sullivan, former chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party
Other officials
- Paul LeBlanc, Southern New Hampshire University president (2004–2024)
- Susan Lynch, former First Lady of New Hampshire (2005–2013)
Labor unions
- American Federation of Teachers Local 1044
- International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 490
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 633
- New Hampshire Building and Construction Trades Council
Cinde Warmington
Governors
- Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont (1991–2003)
U.S. representatives
- Carol Shea-Porter, former U.S. representative from NH-01 (2007–2011, 2013–2015, 2017–2019)
State officials
- Dudley Dudley, former New Hampshire executive councilor from the 3rd district (1977–1985)
State legislators
- Donovan Fenton, state senator from the 10th district (2022–present)
- Terie Norelli, former speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (2006–2010, 2012–2014) from HD-R26 (1996–2014)
- Suzanne Prentiss, state senator from the 5th district (2020–present)
- Steve Shurtleff, former speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (2018–2020) from HD-M11 (2004–present)
- Becky Whitley, state senator from the 15th district (2020–2024)
Local officials
- Jim Bouley, mayor of Concord (2008–2024)
- Andrew Hosmer, mayor of Laconia (2020–2025)
Labor unions
Third parties and independent candidates
Declared
- Stephen Villee (Libertarian), software developer
Failed to qualify
- Edmond LaPlante (Constitution)
General election
Post-primary endorsements
Joyce Craig (D)
Polling
Aggregate polls
Results
By congressional district
Ayotte won both congressional districts, which both elected Democrats.