Republican Andrew Hemingway announced Thursday night that he will run for governor in 2014.
Hemingway, who ran Newt Gingrich's New Hampshire campaign in 2012, outlined his plans for health care, education and employment before a crowd of more than 100 people at The Yard in Manchester. He repeatedly hit Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, referring to her over and over again as the "Status Quo Governor" and talking about the damage she has done to the state.
"I am officially declaring my candidacy for governor," Hemingway said. "I am running for governor because I believe that our state motto 'Live Free or Die' is much more than just a catchy marketing slogan, it's much more than just something we can stamp onto license plates, rather it’s a statement of principal. It is woven into the very fabric of our state.
"How far have we drifted from when General John Stark penned those words? Very far. Over the last 10 years we have seen massive expansion of regulations, budgets, taxes. And we all know that when government expands, individual and economic freedom decrease. How did we go from the 'Live Free or Die' state to a state with some of the highest tax rates, some of the lowest test scores and some of the highest insurance premiums in the country? How did this happen? Very simply, we have allowed outside influences to determine our priorities. We have elected governors who have lacked the courage to challenge the status quo."
He urged people not to count him out, no matter what people say.
"You know, David and Goliath is a story we remember because David won," he said.
A WMUR/University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released Thursday showed that Hassan remains popular in the state, with a 51 favorability rating. It also showed that in a head-to-head matchup, Hassan leads Hemingway 48 percent to 27 percent.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party issued a press release criticizing Hemingway and trying to tie him to the Tea Party and former Republican House Speaker Bill O'Brien.
New Hampshire Democratic Party Communications Director Harrell Kirstein released the following statement on Tea Party Republican Andrew Hemingway's decision to run for Governor.
"As an infamous Tea Party leader, no ideological cause is too far right for Andrew Hemingway," NHDP spokesman Harrell Kirstein said. "He led the Tea Party's efforts to attack worker's rights with so called Right-to-Work bills, block access to basic health services for thousands of Granite State women, and slash education funding while making cigarettes cheaper.
"Hemingway's extreme ideology would take us back to the disastrous agenda of disgraced former Speaker Bill O'Brien. He even endorsed the radical former Speaker's election in order to prevent a 'moderate, conciliatory agenda.' Granite Staters can't afford to have Hemingway in elected office, his radically right-wing agenda is radically wrong for New Hampshire."
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