Democratic gubernatorial candidate Cinde Warmington told reporters that her “day one” policy actions would be to advance the cause of “reproductive freedom,” a common euphemism for abortion. She made the comments as she formally filed her candidacy paperwork with the secretary of state Wednesday.
The only Democrat on the Executive Council, Warmington has made abortion the central issue of her campaign for governor. Her first TV ad featured her attacking Gov. Chris Sununu over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the abortion issue to the voters.
After listing a series of “challenges” she says are facing New Hampshire, including “a housing crisis that’s underpinning our homelessness problem,” Warmington was asked by a reporter, “What would you do on day one to right some of those wrongs? Are there things that can be done immediately from an executive perspective?”
“There certainly are, around reproductive freedom,” Warmington answered. “I’ve called on the governor to make some of those changes and issue some of those orders. And he hasn’t done that. We’re going to make sure we get those things done on day one.”
In response to the Supreme Court’s decision, Warmington urged Sununu to issue an executive order banning New Hampshire officials or employees from helping other states prosecute women who might choose to travel to the Granite State for an abortion. Sununu has responded that no such order is needed because another state can’t force New Hampshire to enforce its laws.
“Nothing has changed [in New Hampshire], Sununu responded.
New Hampshire allows abortion for any reason for the first six months of pregnancy and has health exceptions after that. Warmington opposes the state’s law, arguing that there should be no legal limits on abortion at any point in a pregnancy.
While Warmington’s abortion stance is solidly on the far left of her party, her answers on taxes and supporting more housing construction in the Granite State are more centrist.
Warmington said she would build the state’s budget to “reflect the needs of the people of our state, and we’re really going to see things through the lens of the working families that have been left behind in our state.”
Asked by NHJournal if that might include enacting the business tax hikes overwhelmingly supported by Democrats in the legislature, Warmington said no.
“As I have said many times, I’m going to make decisions through the lens of the working families of our state, and the last thing that working families need right now is to have us increase costs on them. So, I am not in favor of increasing taxes on individuals or on our small businesses in our state. They are the lifeblood of our state, and we need to make sure we support them.”
In previous interviews, Warmington has said her proposed solution to the state’s housing shortage is “build, build, build.” Asked by NHJournal what she thinks is the best way to get that done, Warmington said New Hampshire needs to “change the narrative around housing” with local communities.
“The communities who build the housing first win,” Warmington said. “We need to provide those incentives so that people will make the zoning changes they need in order to accommodate that greater density in housing and really work with our communities to make sure we’re investing our economic development money in the communities willing to take on this challenge.”
Asked about her Democratic competitor Joyce Craig’s negative attacks on her, Warmington declined to fire back. “I’m going to win this race, and I’m going to do it in a positive way,” Warmington said. She has accused the Craig campaign of attempting to “smear” her over her work as a pharmaceutical lobbyist on behalf of Oxycontin in the early 2000s.
Craig has a long list of endorsements, including from several labor unions, but SEA/SEIU Local 1984 President Rich Gulla was on hand at the secretary of state’s office to support Warmington in the Democratic primary.
“Councilor Warmington’s steadfast commitment to New Hampshire’s workforce and her dedication to enhancing the lives of all Granite Staters have been truly inspiring,” Gulla said in his endorsement. “We have full confidence in her support for us.”
The SEA/SEIU has endorsed former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte in the GOP gubernatorial primary.
