Granite Staters will have a new governor come 2025. Gov. Chris Sununu is not running for reelection after eight years in office.
Leading up to the state primary on Sept. 10, we’re speaking with top candidates from both major parties in the gubernatorial race to hear where they stand on some of the biggest concerns on voters’ minds.
Read on for NHPR Morning Edition host Rick Ganley’s interview with Democrat and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig.
What questions do you have for the candidates running for Congress and governor in the 2024 election? What issues do you want them to address while seeking your vote? Share your thoughts here.
Editor’s note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Transcript
Many voters that we've talked to are concerned about the high cost and low availability of housing in New Hampshire. What would you propose to make housing more affordable for people renting or buying?
So this is something I'm hearing as I'm traveling around the state as well. And as mayor, we made a big impact in the work that we did on housing. So today there are over 2,000 housing units in development. I allocated over $30 million toward affordable housing, and we broke ground on one of the largest affordable housing developments in the entire state this past December. So I do have the hands-on experience of negotiating with developers, incentivizing affordable housing and working with local communities to build the housing that meets their needs. And I think that's really critical when we think about this.
We need to look at local zoning and making sure that the state is working with local communities to address zoning issues that are prohibiting affordable housing being built in their communities.
What are some of those issues that you can help with as a governor?
So when we think about ADUs, for example — accessory dwelling units — working with local communities to ensure that they are making sure that we can build those in smaller towns. The requirements for parking is something, as well, that we should be looking at. So we're trying to increase the affordability and the number of units. We have a tremendous demand. We don't have the supply. So we really have to focus on increasing supply across our entire state.
How do you incentivize builders to build more lower income and first time buyer properties?
So it's through the New Hampshire Finance Authority making sure they have the funding they need to provide gap funding. The project that I mentioned to you earlier on in this conversation, it took about four years from start to finish, because we had to cobble together different funding opportunities to get that project off the ground.
Since COVID, we've seen an increase in construction [costs] of over 50%. We need to recognize that and make sure the state, as well as our federal government is helping us with this. The other thing I'm hearing as I'm traveling across the state is that small communities, small towns want more housing in their towns, but they don't have the infrastructure, so they don't have the water and sewer. And that's causing an issue with building. They will not put that additional cost on the backs of our local taxpayers. So the state does need to step in because there is funding that would address that. And again, working with our local communities to get through these obstacles to build. We need to start building right away.
(Editor’s note: We followed up with Craig’s campaign. They clarified that Craig was referring to a 50% rise in construction costs. Housing construction costs have significantly increased since the pandemic but at different levels depending on the material. Read more here.)
New Hampshire outlaws abortion after 24 weeks, with some exceptions, and reproductive rights or restrictions are a concern for many voters that we've talked to. Is there a specific policy on abortion that you would support as governor?
I trust women to make their own health care decisions, and I don't believe government should play a role in a decision that should be between a woman and her doctor, and I will fight to ensure it stays that way. And I'm the only candidate in this race that has put forward a comprehensive plan to not only protect, but to expand reproductive health care in our state.
(Editor’s note: Craig published a detailed policy page on reproductive rights. Democratic candidate for governor Cinde Warmington has announced she intends to expand reproductive health care, including abortion, in New Hampshire. Read more here.)
How do you accomplish that, though, if there's Republican control in the legislature?
So we have to work to find common ground here. This is about health care. And we need to make sure we are providing health care to individuals in our state who need it, and that's where I'll fight. And I think it's really important to note that Kelly Ayotte has spent her entire career attacking reproductive freedom. She's voted multiple times for a national abortion ban.
But again, as governor, what would you do to make that happen?
I would fight to ensure that we have reproductive health care in our state. We need to codify access to abortion. I would make sure that we have a division within the Department of Health and Human Services that is focused on reproductive health care, so people have access to honest, truthful information and where they can access that. I would bring back funding to our local reproductive health care centers that has been taken away for many years now. Again, we have to focus on doing what's right for people in New Hampshire, and that's what I will fight for.
You mentioned infrastructure a few moments ago. We've seen increasingly dangerous flooding events in recent years — lots of towns and cities dealing with infrastructure issues as they try to rebuild. Community leaders say the state government can be slow to respond to local needs. What role would you play if you were in that corner office when planning for a warmer, wetter future in New Hampshire?
So I was in Littleton yesterday and I heard that exact comment. You know, a woman was saying how they are seeing more floods than normal, and she's actually afraid to go to work the next day because she's not sure if the road will be compromised or not. And that's not appropriate. We need a governor who recognizes that climate change is here, and these once in a lifetime storms are happening more often than they used to, and make sure that the infrastructure that we are building and rebuilding is built in a way that can withstand these storms in New Hampshire.
How do you get more resources to those towns and cities?
We have the federal government. I would go to the federal government. When we have storms, we go to FEMA. You know, we have to do what's right. We are rebuilding after these storms, but then the road gets compromised again. And we're, in my opinion, we are wasting our dollars when we're doing that. We have to make sure when we rebuild and build, we are doing it in a sustainable way to withstand storms for the future.
Every two years, the governor has to craft a new state budget. I want to ask about your priorities. How would you shape that budget for your vision of the state. What does that look like?
So I'm the only candidate in this race, Democrat or Republican, who has experience building a budget. As mayor of Manchester, I put forward a $400 million budget based on priorities, and I would take the same approach in building our state budget. My priorities are public education, public safety, and making sure we're addressing infrastructure and climate in our state.
We have to make sure that the dollars that we have are effective and efficient. And as mayor, I know that there are programs right now at the state level that are not working at the local level. And so that's value that I bring to the State House. I understand what's happening at the local level and will make sure that the dollars that are coming back are working for our communities and the best interest of our residents.
Click here for interviews with all the top candidates running in New Hampshire’s gubernatorial race.
