Craig and Warmington largely ignored underdog candidate Jonathan A. Kiper, a restaurant owner from Newmarket whose sole experience in elected office was on the Newmarket Town Council.
But all three candidates took aim at Kelly Ayotte, a former US Senator running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination who leads the polls by a significant margin.
Here are three takeaways from Wednesday’s debate.
1. Kelly Ayotte wasn’t on the debate stage, but the candidates couldn’t stop talking about her.
Ayotte was a specter hanging over Wednesday’s debate, where candidates mentioned her in their responses to at least seven questions. In her opening statements, Craig made clear that she is already looking toward the general election, contrasting her vision for the state to Ayotte’s.
An Aug. 22 University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll showed Ayottehad support from 65 percent of likely GOP primary voters, while her opponent, former Senate president Chuck Morse, had 21 percent.
“I want to start by saying, last night you saw Kelly Ayotte’s vision for our state, a vision where the most wealthy get ahead and the rest of the individuals in our state are left behind,” Craig said, referencing the previous night’s Republican gubenatorial debate. Craig said her vision, in contrast, would decrease housing and energy costs by investing in renewable energy.
“Kelly Ayotte isn’t interested in decreasing the cost for working families in our state,” Warmington agreed. She promised to prioritize the needs of working families as governor.
2. “Disgusted,” “pathetic,” “bogus.” The attacks weren’t new, but they were persistent.
In a heated exchange, Warmington and Craig sparred over the opioid crisis and homelessness.
“I am disgusted that Joyce Craig is attacking me for legal work I did 22 years ago, long before Purdue Pharma’s lies were known,” Warmington said, when asked to respond to Craig’s attack ad. Warmington reported earning $16,995 from Purdue Pharma in 2002, according to lobbyist disclosure forms obtained by The Boston Globe.
She said Craig is smearing her with “bogus” attacks because she can’t defend her record in Manchester on overdose deaths and homelessness.
“I think it is pathetic that Councilor Warmington is spewing Republican talking points,” Craig responded. “The challenges that we face in Manchester are the same challenges that are faced throughout our state, and we have made significant progress in those areas.”
Kiper said those attacks will weaken Craig and Warmington in the general election, and pitched himself as an alternative.
“Frankly, it’s pretty simple,” he said. “Cinde Warmington will lose to Kelly Ayotte because of her ties to Purdue Pharma. Joyce Craig will lose to Kelly because of homelessness in Manchester.”
3. Candidates criticized state response to state-run youth detention center abuse scandal.
The candidates were asked to weigh in on the state’s response to allegations of sexual, physical, and emotional abuse at the state-run youth detention center formerly called the Youth Development Center. In the first civil case to go to trial, a jury awarded $38 million to one of the alleged victims, but the state is arguing it should be capped at $475,000.
Craig said she doesn’t believe the state is treating the victims with respect, and proposed separating child services from the Department of Health and Human Services and making it its own entity, with a line to the governor, and adequate staffing and resources.
“We have seen so many instances lately where children have been victims in our state, and that is unacceptable,” she said.
Warmington called the abuse, which allegedly spanned decades, “a stain on our history” and said people should be compensated appropriately for the harm they suffered.
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Amanda Gokee can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
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Publish date : 2024-09-05 04:07:00
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