In just a few weeks, Democrats in New Hampshire will vote to choose our nominee for governor. Many Democratic legislators, including myself, support Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington as the best candidate to not only win the election but also effectively serve as our next governor. Cinde is intelligent, articulate, and ready to tackle the challenges our state faces from Day One.
While her opponent, former Mayor Joyce Craig, has her own strengths, Joyce has chosen to focus on misleading attacks instead of her record as mayor of Manchester. She’s bringing up work Cinde did as an attorney over 20 years ago to score political points. These attacks are shameful, and Joyce should be embarrassed.
Instead of seeking the truth, Joyce is using the opioid crisis for attention, which is dishonest and irresponsible. Here’s the real story: back in 2002, before the medical community knew about Purdue Pharma’s fraud involving Oxycontin, Cinde argued that doctors, not insurance companies, should decide the best medications for their patients. This was a brief job she did as an associate attorney more than two decades ago—nothing more.
Since then, Cinde has shared her own experience with her father’s substance use disorder, understanding the pain many families go through. She has spent over 20 years advocating for better access to care, serving on boards for mental health and substance use treatment programs, and helping bring medication-assisted treatment to New Hampshire. On the Executive Council, she has been a leading advocate for expanding access to treatment and mental health services. She understands this issue deeply and is ready to find solutions as governor.
What’s frustrating is that Joyce knows better. She knows it’s unfair to blame an attorney for their client’s actions. Her husband, also a lawyer, defended opioid dealers during the crisis, yet she doesn’t hold him responsible for the epidemic, nor should she. She also doesn’t blame herself for the rise in opioid overdose deaths in Manchester during her time as mayor.
There is only one candidate in this race who has consistently fought for families dealing with substance use disorder and is ready to tackle the opioid crisis from Day One—Cinde Warmington. I hope you will join me in supporting her for governor.