Cinde Warmington Wins Democratic Nomination for New Hampshire Governor

<p>Cinde Warmington secured the Democratic nomination in New Hampshire’s gubernatorial primary on September 8, 2026, after running unopposed.</p><p>This marks her second attempt at the office as Warmington faces criticism regarding her previous role as an attorney for Purdue Pharma, known for the development and marketing of OxyContin.</p><p>The Republican Governors Association (RGA) stated that her connection to the company disqualifies her from the governorship.</p><p>The RGA commented, "Based on her role in fueling the opioid epidemic and calling OxyContin a ‘miracle drug,’ Cinde Warmington is completely disqualified from being governor. Warmington chose a payday over protecting New Hampshire families," according to local outlets.</p><p>Purdue Pharma faced significant public backlash, investigations, and lawsuits for promoting OxyContin as a non-addictive drug while concealing its potential for abuse. In May 2021, the company was required to pay a $7.4 billion settlement.</p><p>Warmington has described the attacks as unfounded, asserting that her association with Purdue was limited. In a video titled "setting the record straight," she addressed the issue directly.</p><p>She stated, "My dad, who I loved very, very much, struggled with addiction. We did not escape the opioid crisis."</p><p>Warmington continued, "In 2001, when, as an attorney, I was assigned a case by a partner to represent Purdue Pharma … I was fighting for patients to get access to the healthcare that their doctors thought that they needed. What I did not know at the time was that Purdue Pharma was engaged in this massive criminal fraud — something that would only be exposed over years of litigation."</p><p>Previously, Warmington served on the New Hampshire Executive Council, representing the state’s 2nd district from 2021 to 2025.</p><p>In her prior campaign for governor in 2024, she lost to Joyce Craig, who eventually became the nominee, with a vote of 47.9% to 41.8%. Craig later lost to Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte.</p><p>In her 2026 campaign, Warmington has focused on addressing rising living costs. She has criticized Republicans for not doing enough to improve affordability.</p><p>"The prices of houses, groceries, electricity and property taxes are crushing working families. And Kelly Ayotte is making your life more expensive. I know we can do better," Warmington stated in a campaign video.</p><p>She shares platform similarities with other Democratic candidates, advocating for policies such as opposing Trump's immigration policies, implementing regulations for data center construction, and preventing investor groups from buying housing. Warmington has also promised to reduce taxes.</p><p>"I’ll make sure we don’t have a sales or income tax," she said.</p><p>Having secured the party nomination, Warmington will compete against Ayotte in the general election for governor on November 3, 2026.</p><p>Ayotte won election in 2024, defeating Craig with 53.6% of the vote to 44.3%.</p>