As Expected, Executive Councilor Announces Run For Governor In NH

CONCORD, NH — A well-known Concord attorney who has been contemplating a run for the corner office for a number of years will be a candidate for governor next year. Democrat Andru Volinsky, the current District 2 executive councilor, made the announcement Wednesday that he would be running for governor in 2020, after a multi-month exploratory phase involving more than 200 potential supporters as well as members of his family. Volinsky said the exploratory committee, which features progressive activists and elected officials from all of the state's 10 counties, showed that he had a wide range of support to run.

"I believe that through real, honest conversations with the people of New Hampshire, we can make meaningful change in our state," Volinsky said "Access to quality education, clean air and water, and good-paying jobs shouldn't be dependent on your zip code. But if we allow the same leaders to keep trying the same failed approaches, we can't expect different outcomes."

Another Democrat, state Sen. Dan Feltes, D-Concord, announced in September that he would also be running for the Democrat nomination, after spending a good part of the summer exploring the idea. The decision by Volinsky solidifies what some of the state's political class have been suspecting for a while – the race for the nomination to represent Democrats in 2020 will be a battle of the Concord attorneys.

Current Gov. Chris Sununu, R-Salem, announced in May that he would be seeking a third term next year.

Education issues, including funding and fairness, something Volinsky has been involved with for decades, since his role in the original Claremont school funding lawsuit from the 1990s, will play a large role in his campaign. Volinsky said while Sununu and Republicans were telling the public that "everything is great," some school districts are closing elementary schools, due to declining enrollments in New Hampshire. Families, he said, "are still struggling to receive much-needed quality healthcare" and they feel "less secure about what they would do if they lost their jobs." Climate change, Volinsky said, was a threat to the state's economy and the wellbeing of all residents, and public officials needed to change course and build lasting progress. He has also refused to take "the pledge" – declining to make a commitment to the public that he would not support the creation of a broad-based tax in New Hampshire if elected.

"We are a beautiful state with resilient people who care greatly about each other," he added. "I know it will be a hard, but I am resolved that we can do it together for the betterment of all our futures."

Volinsky has been the District 2 executive councilor since 2016, when Colin Van Ostern, also of Concord, gave up the seat to run for governor. He has worked with the Bernstein Shur law firm for many years after first working as a public defender. Volinsky also represented the city of Claremont in successfully suing the state because it was unable to fund or guarantee access to an adequate public education for their students, a fundamental right in the New Hampshire constitution, due to the city's low property tax valuation and high education expenses.

Since that time, politicians, local communities, and taxpayers have been arguing and filing lawsuits about how to address K-12 funding – in a state that doesn't have an income tax and limits sales taxes to rooms and meals, gasoline, and sin taxes like liquor and cigarettes.

Volinsky has already lined up a number of influential endorsements including former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter and former executive councilors Dudley Dudley and Bev Hollingworth, who was also the state Senate President.

Other candidates who are considering or are running for governor include Nobody, formerly Rich Paul, the pro-pot activist and libertarian, who is considering primarying Sununu next year; Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, who is currently in a competitive re-election race against former state Rep. Victoria Sullivan; and Steve Marchand, a former Portsmouth city councilor and mayor, who unsuccessful sought the Dems' nomination in 2016 and 2018.

ALSO READ:

• State Senator Launches Bid To Become NH's Next Governor
• Will 2020 Dem Governor Primary Be Battle Of The Concord Lawyers?
• Sununu Makes It Official: He's Running For Re-Election In 2020

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