State

Governor

Vote for: 1
Term: 2 years
Candidates: 3
Election: Nov 3, 2026

What this office does: The governor is New Hampshire's chief executive: proposes the state budget, signs or vetoes laws and, with the Executive Council, appoints judges and agency heads. New Hampshire elects its governor every two years.

Candidates Compare by issue

Cinde Warmington

Democratic

Health care attorney; former executive councilor · Concord

The gist

Pledges to repeal the state's private school voucher program.
Proposes temporarily suspending the state gas tax.
Opposes a state sales tax or income tax.
Proposes a temporary moratorium on large data center permits.
Supports barring private equity from buying single-family homes.
Proposes an executive order assessing tariffs' impact and seeking refunds.
Opposes an ICE detention facility in Merrimack or elsewhere.

More about Cinde

View sources (2)

Pledges to repeal the state's private school voucher program.
Cinde Warmington for Governor
Campaign website · Friends of Cinde Warmington · cindewarmington.com
“As Governor, Cinde will repeal Kelly Ayotte’s private school vouchers scheme that’s hurting public schools and driving up property taxes.”
Proposes temporarily suspending the state gas tax.
Priorities – Cinde Warmington for Governor
Campaign website · Friends of Cinde Warmington · cindewarmington.com
“As Governor, Cinde will temporarily suspend the state gas tax, giving New Hampshire drivers immediate relief.”
Opposes a state sales tax or income tax.
Cinde Warmington for Governor
Campaign website · Friends of Cinde Warmington · cindewarmington.com
“And make sure we don’t have a sales or income tax.”
Proposes a temporary moratorium on large data center permits.
Priorities – Cinde Warmington for Governor
Campaign website · Friends of Cinde Warmington · cindewarmington.com
“by placing a temporary moratorium on large-scale data center permits while a real regulatory framework is built.”
Supports barring private equity from buying single-family homes.
Priorities – Cinde Warmington for Governor
Campaign website · Friends of Cinde Warmington · cindewarmington.com
“Build on federal efforts that ban private equity firms from buying up single-family homes across New Hampshire and jacking up rent.”
Proposes an executive order assessing tariffs' impact and seeking refunds.
Priorities – Cinde Warmington for Governor
Campaign website · Friends of Cinde Warmington · cindewarmington.com
“Issue an executive order directing state agencies to assess the impact of tariffs”
Opposes an ICE detention facility in Merrimack or elsewhere.
Cinde Warmington for Governor
Campaign website · Friends of Cinde Warmington · cindewarmington.com
“she’ll say no to ICE’s human warehouse in Merrimack or anywhere else.”

Stephen Villee

Libertarian

Libertarian candidate · Hampton

The gist

Proposes adopting approval voting in New Hampshire elections.
Supports full legalization of cannabis for adults.
Supports requiring a declaration of war before Guard deployment.
Supports legalizing medical psilocybin for PTSD and depression.
Proposes winding down state welfare programs over time.
Supports eventually reducing public school funding and Education Freedom Accounts.

More about Stephen

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Proposes adopting approval voting in New Hampshire elections.
Home – Stephen Villee for Governor
Campaign website · Stephen Villee for Governor · villee4nh.com
“I'll push to adopt approval voting in our elections.”
Supports full legalization of cannabis for adults.
Home – Stephen Villee for Governor
Campaign website · Stephen Villee for Governor · villee4nh.com
“I want cannabis to be fully legal for adults.”
Supports requiring a declaration of war before Guard deployment.
Home – Stephen Villee for Governor
Campaign website · Stephen Villee for Governor · villee4nh.com
“Congress officially declare war before the New Hampshire national guard could be activated”
Supports legalizing medical psilocybin for PTSD and depression.
Home – Stephen Villee for Governor
Campaign website · Stephen Villee for Governor · villee4nh.com
“I want to legalize medical use of psilocybin for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, and clinical depression”
Proposes winding down state welfare programs over time.
Home – Stephen Villee for Governor
Campaign website · Stephen Villee for Governor · villee4nh.com
“I plan to wind down welfare programs, with appropriate grandfathering for those already living here”
Supports eventually reducing public school funding and Education Freedom Accounts.
Citizens Count: Stephen Villee profile
Candidate questionnaire · Citizens Count · citizenscount.org
“In the long term, I want to reduce or eliminate both public school funding and Education Freedom Accounts.”

Kelly Ayotte

RepublicanIncumbent

Governor of New Hampshire · Nashua

The gist

Opposes any state income tax or sales tax.
Signed laws to speed up housing construction.
Signed changes to the bail system and victim protections.
Supports keeping cell phones out of classrooms.
Supported full funding for community mental health centers.
Opposes New Hampshire becoming a dumping ground for out-of-state trash.
Vetoed bills she called hidden sales taxes and book bans.

More about Kelly

View sources (2)

Opposes any state income tax or sales tax.
Accomplishments – Kelly Ayotte for Governor
Campaign website · Kelly for New Hampshire · kellyfornh.com
“Kelly is holding the line against new taxes — no income tax, no sales tax, EVER!”
Signed laws to speed up housing construction.
Accomplishments – Kelly Ayotte for Governor
Campaign website · Kelly for New Hampshire · kellyfornh.com
“Kelly signed new laws to speed up construction and make it easier to bring more housing to our state.”
Signed changes to the bail system and victim protections.
About Kelly – Kelly Ayotte for Governor
Campaign website · Kelly for New Hampshire · kellyfornh.com
“As Governor, Kelly fixed the broken bail system, strengthened protections for victims of crimes like domestic violence and human trafficking”
Supports keeping cell phones out of classrooms.
About Kelly – Kelly Ayotte for Governor
Campaign website · Kelly for New Hampshire · kellyfornh.com
“Kelly got cell phones out of our classrooms, is prioritizing fundamental skills like reading”
Supported full funding for community mental health centers.
About Kelly – Kelly Ayotte for Governor
Campaign website · Kelly for New Hampshire · kellyfornh.com
“Kelly fully funded community mental health centers and ensured Granite Staters with developmental disabilities have no waitlist for services”
Opposes New Hampshire becoming a dumping ground for out-of-state trash.
Accomplishments – Kelly Ayotte for Governor
Campaign website · Kelly for New Hampshire · kellyfornh.com
“Kelly is stopping efforts to turn New Hampshire into a dumping ground for out-of-state trash”
Vetoed bills she called hidden sales taxes and book bans.
About Kelly – Kelly Ayotte for Governor
Campaign website · Kelly for New Hampshire · kellyfornh.com
“like vetoing hidden sales taxes, book bans, and a host of other bills that would negatively impact Granite Staters way of life”

Challengers are listed first and incumbents last; otherwise candidates appear in ballot order. The Gist does not rank, rate or endorse candidates. Only positions backed by a cited source are shown; 9 issues covered in this race.