Joyce Craig’s gubernatorial campaign argued that her record as Manchester mayor would be an asset in November, a claim Republicans disputed, NH Journal reported. The pushback centered on a recent GOP upset in the city and on voter concerns over crime and homelessness during her tenure.
The campaign laid out its case in an internal memo, according to NH Journal.
According to a memo from her campaign manager, Craig Brown, and first reported by the Union-Leader, the former mayor is a stronger nominee for governor than Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington.
NH Journal
The memo leaned on the campaign’s own polling against a likely Republican opponent in the general election.
Brown writes the campaign’s numbers give former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) a 37-point lead in name identification but just a seven-point lead (42-49 percent) in a hypothetical match-up with Craig.
NH Journal
That framing ran against the conventional read of the city’s politics, NH Journal reported, pointing to the November mayoral result.
Indeed, Republican Jay Ruais’s upset victory in the Manchester mayor’s race in November is widely attributed to dissatisfaction in the Democrat-majority city with conditions under Craig’s leadership.
NH Journal
The new Republican mayor had built his campaign around the very issues Craig’s team now described as strengths.
Ruais made addressing crime and homelessness, both of which spiked on Craig’s watch, the centerpiece of his campaign.
NH Journal
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne offered his own assessment when Craig entered the race. As quoted by Jason Osborne:
Craig is the New Hampshire Democrats’ Donald Trump: The more she campaigns, the more Republican voters will turn out.
NH Journal
Osborne also tied Craig’s mayoral record directly to the statewide contest, per NH Journal.
“Voters don’t want a governor who’ll turn New Hampshire into Manchester,” House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) said when Craig entered the race .
NH Journal
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