Democratic candidate for governor Joyce Craig dropped an attack ad Sunday targeting her primary opponent, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, for her work in 2002 as a Purdue Pharma lobbyist defending the use of Oxycontin.
It’s the first indication from the Craig campaign that it sees Warmington as a serious threat in the race for the nomination.
The former Manchester mayor’s ad accuses Warmington of “profiting off the opioid crisis as a lobbyist for Purdue Pharma” for “20 years.”
“Warmington was paid to defend OxyContin, calling it ‘a miracle drug,’ after we knew it was addictive. Then Warmington worked for a disgraced pain clinic that made millions hooking people on opioids,” the ad claims. It also notes Warmington has received “tens of thousands” in contributions from the pharmaceutical industry.
Warmington did not wait to fire back.
“It’s pathetic that a scared Joyce Craig has stooped so low as to push misleading smears against her fellow Democrat because Cinde is gaining momentum in the race,” campaign manager Philip Stein said in a statement to NHJournal Sunday night.
“These attacks against Cinde are nothing more than a political hit-job that exploits the pain of thousands of New Hampshire families. Joyce is attacking legal work Cinde did 22 years ago – long before Purdue Pharma’s lies were known. Joyce is running a desperate, dirty campaign to divide Democrats because she can’t defend her own record of homelessness and overdose deaths in Manchester.”
On Monday morning, Warmington posted a video response on social media saying she’s “disgusted by Joyce Craig and her allies attacking me for legal work I did 22 years ago – long before Purdue Pharma’s lies were known.
“I’ve spent decades helping families devastated by addiction. Joyce Craig is smearing me because she can’t defend her record in Manchester of homelessness and overdoses.”
Craig’s record as Manchester mayor has been a frequent target this election cycle. Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte’s campaign is running “Craigville” ads featuring homeless encampments and high-profile crimes during Craig’s tenure as mayor. And Warmington’s ad on the housing crisis features a not-too-subtle video clip of homeless tents in downtown Manchester.
And, Warmington supporters noted, the attack on her work as a lobbyist is also an attack on one of the most prominent– and pro-Democrat — law firms in the state: Shaheen & Gordon.
“We’re shocked and disappointed by this misleading attack on Cinde Warmington’s character and the Shaheen & Gordon law firm,” said Bill Shaheen and Steve Gordon, Founding Partners of Shaheen & Gordon, and Michael Noonan, Managing Partner of Shaheen & Gordon in a statement to NHJournal.
(Bill Shaheen is the husband of Democratic U.S. senator Jeanne Shaheen.)
“We’ve worked with Cinde Warmington for decades and her judgment and character are unimpeachable. She has spent her entire career and personal time fighting to build a more just, equitable, and accessible health care system and advocating for increased substance use and mental health treatment. For anyone to suggest that we knew of Purdue Pharma’s lies more than two decades ago is patently false and personally offensive. There is no place for this kind of smear campaign in a Democratic primary and we call upon the Joyce Craig campaign to take this disingenuous ad down immediately.”
Polls show Craig with a modest but consistent lead in the race to replace outgoing Gov. Chris Sununu. In the St. Anselm College Survey Center poll taken in mid-August, Craig led Warmington by 9 points (37-28 percent), but with 31 percent undecided.
Longshot Democratic candidate, Newmarket restaurant owner Jon Kiper, was at two percent.
According to their campaign disclosures, however, Craig maintains a significant lead in fundraising. She reported raising just under $500,000 in the most recent filing period, bringing her total to $2.9 million since launching her campaign. Craig reported $631,000 cash on hand.
Her opponent, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, has struggled to keep up with Craig’s fundraising since entering the race. She’s raised $2.3 million total and reported about $468,000 this cycle. That includes a $300,000 loan she made to the campaign. And her cash on hand has fallen to just over $150,000.
The Craig campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
