2018 New Hampshire gubernatorial election


The 2018 New Hampshire gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018, to elect the governor of New Hampshire. Incumbent Republican governor Chris Sununu won re-election to a second term, defeating former state senator Molly Kelly. Sununu was the first incumbent Republican to win reelection as governor since Steve Merrill was reelected in 1994.
Primary elections were held on September 11, 2018. The gubernatorial election was coincident with races for the state legislature and the United States House of Representatives. This was one of eight Republican-held governorships up for election in a state won by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

Background

New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with Vermont, where governors are elected to two-year terms. Republican Chris Sununu was elected in the 2016 election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declared

General election

Polling

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Chris
Sununu 		Molly
Kelly 		Jilletta
Jarvis 		OtherUndecided
University of New HampshireNovember 1–4, 2018630± 3.9%46%46%2%0%6%
Change Research October 27–29, 2018901–47%46%–––
Emerson CollegeOctober 27–29, 20181,139± 3.7%51%43%1%–5%
University of New HampshireOctober 10–18, 2018499± 4.4%50%39%4%–7%
Saint Anselm CollegeOctober 10–15, 2018454± 4.6%49%39%1%0%12%
Emerson CollegeOctober 10–12, 2018625± 4.2%51%35%1%–14%
American Research GroupSeptember 21–26, 2018800± 3.5%49%44%–0%7%
University of New HampshireAugust 2–19, 2018389± 5.0%48%32%–5%16%
Suffolk UniversityApril 26–30, 2018800± 3.5%48%27%4%–21%
University of New HampshireApril 13–22, 2018379± 5.0%51%24%2%4%20%

with Steve Marchand

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Chris
Sununu 		Steve
Marchand 		Jilletta
Jarvis 		OtherUndecided
University of New HampshireAugust 2–19, 2018389± 5.0%48%33%–4%15%
Suffolk UniversityApril 26–30, 2018800± 3.5%49%25%4%–21%
University of New HampshireApril 13–22, 2018379± 5.0%49%24%2%2%20%
University of New HampshireJanuary 28 – February 10, 2018381± 5.0%42%28%––30%

with Chris Sununu and generic Democrat

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Chris
Sununu 		Generic
Democrat		Undecided
Praecones AnalyticaAugust 13–15, 2018626± 3.9%47%33%20%

with generic Republican and Democrat

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Generic
Republican		Generic
Democrat		OtherUndecided
TargetPoint/GQRMarch 8–15, 2018600± 4.0%43%39%4%14%

with Mark Connolly

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Chris
Sununu 		Mark
Connolly 		OtherUndecided
University of New HampshireJanuary 28 – February 10, 2018381± 5.0%41%29%–30%

with Sununu and Van Ostern

Poll sourceDate
administered		Sample
size		Margin
of error		Chris
Sununu 		Colin
Van Ostern 		Undecided
University of New HampshireJanuary 28 – February 10, 2018381± 5.0%41%31%28%

Results

By county

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

Sununu won both congressional districts, which simultaneously elected Democrats.
DistrictSununuKellyRepresentative
55%44%Chris Pappas
51%48%Annie Kuster