New Hampshire governor’s race seen as pivotal for offshore wind, EVs

By Mika Travis | 10/30/2024 06:39 AM EDT

Former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte is battling former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig in one of the nation’s closest gubernatorial races.

Kelly Ayotte and Joyce Craig

Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte (left) is running against Democrat Joyce Craig in the November election. AP

New Hampshire voters are set to pick a new governor next week in a race that could influence the state’s use of natural gas, renewables and nuclear power.

The race, one of the few gubernatorial contests this year considered a toss up, pits former Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte against Democrat Joyce Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire. They are vying to replace Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who is not seeking a fifth term.

While energy has not been the top issue on the campaign trail, the candidates have policy differences that could send the state in sharply different directions on issues such as offshore wind and electric vehicles. Craig, for example, is calling for state incentives for residents to purchase EVs, while Ayotte says the market should be the chief driver of the technology.

Advertisement

The candidates also could sway the state’s overall electricity mix, which currently gets more than half of its power from nuclear and about 25 percent from gas, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The state hosts one of two nuclear power plants in New England and the two remaining coal plants in the region.

GET FULL ACCESS