Joyce Craig, the Democratic mayor of Manchester, launches bid for governor of New Hampshire

July 12, 2023 GMT
FILE — Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig applauds during a canvassing rally at her campaign office, Saturday, July 13, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. Craig is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of New Hampshire saying she will run on her record of winning tough elections and delivering results. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter, File)
FILE — Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig applauds during a canvassing rally at her campaign office, Saturday, July 13, 2019, in Manchester, N.H. Craig is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of New Hampshire saying she will run on her record of winning tough elections and delivering results. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter, File)

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor of New Hampshire, saying she will run on her record of winning tough elections and delivering results.

Craig made history as the first woman elected mayor of the state’s largest city in 2017 and has been reelected twice. In her campaign announcement Tuesday, she said she led the city to “unprecedented progress” in job creation, violent crime reduction and affordable housing development. Her campaign will focus on those issues, along with public education and protecting access to abortion, Craig said.

“The same challenges we’re facing in Manchester are faced by communities across the state,” she said in a statement. “Granite Staters deserve a governor that will partner with cities and towns to tackle our shared challenges and deliver for families.”

Also seeking the nomination is Cinde Warmington, the lone Democrat on the governor’s Executive Council, a five-member panel that approves state agency heads, judges and state contracts.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has not yet said whether he will seek a fifth two-year term.