New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2010

State Executives

Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

## Contents

* 1 November 2, 2010 general election results
* 2 Inauguration and transition
* 2.1 Inaugural date
* 2.2 Transition team
* 3 September 14, 2010 primary
* 4 Race ratings
* 4.1 Changes
* 5 Candidates
* 5.1 Democratic
* 5.2 Republican
* 5.3 Libertarian
* 6 Declaring candidacy
* 7 Polling
* 7.1 General election polling
* 8 Campaign spots
* 9 Gubernatorial electoral history
* 10 Presidential electoral history
* 11 See also
* 12 External links
* 13 Footnotes

In the New Hampshire gubernatorial election of 2010, held on November 2, 2010, incumbent Democrat John Lynch defeated Republican John Stephen and Libertarian John J. Babiarz. Lyncy's re-election to a fourth two-year term was unprecedented in New Hampshire.

In the September 14, 2010 primary elections, Lynch and Stephen both won easy primary victories. Lynch's biggest challenger was State Representative Timothy Robertson. Stephen faced Two-term state Representative  Frank Robert Emiro, Sr. but ultimately his major opponent was Jack Kimball, Jr., a business owner and Tea Party activist.

## November 2, 2010 general election results[edit]

New Hampshire, as they say, has America's first in the nation Presidential primary. It now has the first gubernatorial win of the night. Taking a historic first term, John Lynch has held onto his seat and become the first governor of the 2010 cycle to see his race called. As of November 5, 2010, results have been certified.[1] The window to request a recount has passed.[2]

2010 New Hampshire gubernatorial general election

Party  | Candidate  | Vote Percentage
| Democratic Party | a John Lynch | 52.70%
| Republican Party | John Stephen | 44.97%
| Libertarian Party | John J. Babiarz | 2.21%
| Other  | write-in  | 0.12%
Total Votes  | 456,588

## Inauguration and transition[edit]

### Inaugural date[edit]

Governor John Lynch began his fourth term on January 5, 2011.

### Transition team[edit]

Going into his unprecedented fourth two-year term, Governor Lynch did not effect a full scale transition effort.

## September 14, 2010 primary[edit]

2010 Race for Governor - Democrat Primary[3]

Candidates  | Percentage
John Lynch (D) | 87.39%
Timothy Robertson (D)  | 6.65%
Frank Sullivan (D)  | 5.96%
Total votes | 50,485
2010 Race for Governor - Republican Primary[4]

Candidates  | Percentage
Frank Emiro (R)  | 3.82%
Jack Kimball (R)  | 27.27%
John Stephen (R) | 67.81%
Karen Testerman (R)  | 10.98%
Total votes | 111,029

## Race ratings[edit]

See also:  Gubernatorial elections 2010, Race tracking

2010 Race Rankings New Hampshire

Race Tracker  | Race Rating  |
The Cook Political Report[5] | Lean Democrat  |
Congressional Quarterly Politics[6] | Leans Democratic  |
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball[7] | Leans Democrat  |
Rasmussen Reports Gubernatorial Scorecard[8] | Lean Democratic  |
The Rothenberg Political Report[9] | Lean Democrat  |
Overall Call | Democratic |

### Changes[edit]

7\. Rasmussen moved race from "Solid Democratic" to "Leans Democrat" on October 31st.

6\. Cook Political Report moved races from "Toss-up" to "Lean Democrat" on October 29th.

5\. CQ Politics moved race from "Likely Democratic" to "Leans Democratic" as of October 24th.

4\. Rasmussen moved race from "Toss-up" back to "Solid Democratic" following October 10th poll.

3\. Rothenberg moved race from "Democrat Favored" to "Lean Democrat" in October 1st ratings.

2\. Cook Political Report moved race from "Solid Democratic" to "Toss-up" in September 30th ratings.

1\. Rasmussen moves race from "Solid Democratic" to "Toss-up" on September 18th.

## Candidates[edit]

The November Ballot – Who Made It? New Hampshire  Governor[10]

Nominee  | Affiliation  |
John Lynch | Democrat  |
John Stephen | Republican  |
John J. Babiarz | Libertarian  |
This lists candidates who won their state's primary or convention, or who were unopposed, and who were officially certified for the November ballot by their state's election authority.

### Democratic[edit]

* John H. Lynch, the incumbent, sought a fourth term. He previously worked as an executive in higher education as the President and CEO of Knoll, Inc.
* Timothy Robertson, a state Representative from Keene, entered the race in mid-May.[11] He was, at the time, serving his 8th term in New Hampshire's house and also had experience owning auto dealerships and real estate business. Robertson's late entry to the race not only forced Lynch into a primary; Robertson's own positions on some key social issues put him far enough left that Lynch was, comparatively, a centrist - something which bound to affect the primary campaign dynamic.
* One month after Robertson entered the race, retired Manchester high school teacher Francis "Frank" Sullivan declared candidacy. He centered his campaign on a pro-gambling platform.[12]

### Republican[edit]

* Two-term state Representative  Frank Robert Emiro, Sr. worked extensively in transportation and in veteran's affairs. Himself a veteran of the Navy and the Army, he began his political career in his native New York serving as a staffer to the Republican Whip of the state assembly.
* Business owner Jack Kimball, Jr. is active within the Tea Party and made his first foray into electoral politics with the 2010 campaign.
* Attorney John Stephen served publicly as an Assistant Attorney General, appointed by U.S. Senator Judd Gregg (who was Governor at the time), as Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Safety, and later as Commissioner of Health and Human Services for New Hampshire. In private practice, he is a partner at The Lucas Group, Boston based consulting and strategy law firm, where he has advised governors of multiple states and Congressional members on various policy issues.
* Karen Testerman is a founder of New Hampshire's Cornerstone Policy Institute and has long been active with family value oriented policy groups in addition to being a high school and college science teacher.

### Libertarian[edit]

* John J. Babiarz, the fire chief of Grafton, New Hampshire

## Declaring candidacy[edit]

Intended candidates submitted either a $100 filing fee or a minimum of 200 "primary petitions" to file an Official Declaration of Candidacy. This method of entering the race is a requirement for all Democratic and Republican candidates in order to participate in the primaries. The Declaration of Candidacy is different from the Declaration of Intent, and is required by the New Hampshire Secretary of State in order to place a candidate's name on the general election ballot.

Declarations of Intent to run for governor must be accompanied by either a $100 fee or a minimum of 3,000 "nominating papers." If the candidate chooses the latter option, she must gain 1,500 signatures from each of the state's two Congressional Districts. June 11th was the deadline for filing primary petitions and for nomination papers.[13]

New Hampshire allows voters to register and vote on Election Day for both the primary and the general election. However, the last day on which voters could change party affiliation prior to the primary was June 1, 2010. Additionally, there are blackouts periods prior to both elections to allow election workers to finalize rolls and prepare for balloting. These periods began on September 7th for the primary and on October 23rd for the general. Intended voters who miss these deadlines had to wait until the Election Day and register on site.[14]

## Polling[edit]

### General election polling[edit]

2010 Race for New Hampshire Governor - Public Policy Polling

Date Reported  | Stephens (R)  | Lynch (D)  | Other  | Don't Know
September 11-12, 2010[15] | 39%  | 51% | \-  | 10%
(Sample) | n=1,959  | MoE=+/- 2.2%  | p=0.05  |
2010 Race for New Hampshire Governor - Rasmussen Reports

Date Reported  | Stephens (R)  | Lynch (D)  | Other  | Don't Know
October 27, 2010[16] | 45%  | 51% | 1%  | 3%
October 10, 2010[17] | 43%  | 53% | 1%  | 3%
September 15, 2010[18] | 46%  | 48% | 1%  | 4%
(Sample) | n=500  | MoE=+/- 4.5%  | p=0.05  |

## Campaign spots[edit]

Republican Governor's Association' 'John Lynch: 'Nice Guy' ad.

## Gubernatorial electoral history[edit]

1998 Gubernatorial Results[19]

Candidates  | Percentage
Jean Shaheen (D) | 66.08%
Jay Lucas (R)  | 30.88%
Ken Blevans (L)  | 1.73%
(write-in)  | 0.13%
Total votes | 318,940

2002 Gubernatorial Results[20]

Candidates  | Percentage
Craig Benson (R) | 58.62%
Mark Fernald (D)  | 38.21%
John Babiarz (L)  | 2.94%
Total votes | 442,976

2006 Gubernatorial Results[21]

Candidates  | Percentage
John Lynch (D) | 74.01%
Jim Coburn (R)  | 25.83%
Total votes | 403,679

## Presidential electoral history[edit]

2000 Presidential Results

Candidates  | Percentage
George W. Bush (R) | 48.07%
Al Gore (D)  | 46.80%

2004 Presidential Results

Candidates  | Percentage
George W. Bush (R)  | 48.87%
John Kerry (D) | 50.24%

2008 Presidential Results[22]

Candidates  | Percentage
John McCain (R)  | 44.52%
Barack Obama (D) | 54.13%

1992 Presidential Results

Candidates  | Percentage
George H.W. Bush (R)  | 37.69%
Bill Clinton (D) | 38.91%

1996 Presidential Results

Candidates  | Percentage
Bob Dole (R)  | 39.37%
Bill Clinton (D) | 49.32%

## See also[edit]

* Gubernatorial elections, 2010
* New Hampshire lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2010

## External links[edit]

* Green Papers on the New Hampshire gubernatorial election of 2010
* New Hampshire Secretary of State Elections Division (dead link)

Candidate pages

* John Babiarz for New Hampshire Governor 2010
* Frank Emiro, Governor 2010
* Jack Kimball for New Hampshire Governor
* John Lynch for Governor
* John Stephen for Governor
* Karen Testerman

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "NEW HAMPSHIRE - GENERAL ELECTION, November 2, 2010: Governor," November 5, 2010
2. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "NEW HAMPSHIRE - GENERAL ELECTION: Governor," updated November 5, 2010, accessed November 12, 2010
3. ↑ Associated Press, “Election Night Results: New Hampshire - County Vote Results”, September 15, 2010
4. ↑ Associated Press, “Election Night Results: New Hampshire - County Vote Results”, September 15, 2010
5. ↑ The Cook Political, “Governors: Race Ratings”
6. ↑ CQ Politics, “2010 Race Ratings: Governors”
7. ↑ Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball', “2010 Governor Ratings”
8. ↑ Rasmussen Reports', “Election 2010: Scorecard Ratings”
9. ↑ Rothenberg Political Report, “Governor Ratings”
10. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, “State Primary Election, Election Results”, accessed September 19, 2010
11. ↑ Manchester Democrat Examiner, "Lynch's challenger in NH: Who is he?" May 17, 2001
12. ↑ Concord Monitor, "Gambling has friend running for governor," June 16, 2010
13. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State Elections Division, "Filing for Office," accessed July 24, 2010 (dead link)
14. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State Elections Division, "How to Register to Vote," accessed July 24, 2010 (dead link)
15. ↑ Public Policy Polling, “Lynch Still Up By Double Digits Over Stephen”, September 16, 2010 (dead link)
16. ↑ Rasmussen Reports, “New Hampshire Governor: Lynch (D) Retains Smaller Lead On Stephen (R)”, October 31, 2010
17. ↑ Rasmussen Reports, “Election 2010: New Hampshire Governor: Lynch (D) Earns Highest Support Yet Against Stephen (R)”, October 12, 2010
18. ↑ Rasmussen Reports, “Election 2010: New Hampshire Governor: Lynch (D) 48%, Stephen (R) 4”, September 18, 2010
19. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, “1998 General Election Results“
20. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, “2002 General Election Results“
21. ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, “2006 General Election Results“
22. ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections', accessed July 28, 2010

Governors

Current Governors

Alabama • Alaska • American Samoa • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Guam • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Northern Mariana Islands • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Puerto Rico • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • U.S. Virgin Islands • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • Wyoming

Elections

2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011 • 2010

Features

States with gubernatorial term limits • Election of lieutenant governors • How gubernatorial vacancies are filled • States with gubernatorial recall provisions • Gubernatorial impeachment procedures • Comparison of gubernatorial salaries • Comparison of lieutenant gubernatorial salaries • Residences of the American governors

v • e

State of New Hampshire
Concord (capital)

|

Elections |

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2026 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government |

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy