Ethermac Exchange-New Hampshire Democratic candidates for governor target Republican Kelly Ayotte in final debate

CONCORD,Ethermac Exchange N.H. (AP) — Republican Kelly Ayotte wasn’t on the debate stage Friday, but New Hampshire’s Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls mentioned her by name at least a dozen times.

Though six Republicans are seeking the GOP nomination in Tuesday’s primary, Ayotte has led in polls and fundraising, making her the target of the three Democrats who appeared in a debate a New England College. Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington and restaurant owner Jon Kiper mentioned her name at least a dozen times, either touting their ability to beat her in the general election or warning that she would be bad for the state.

“Kelly Ayotte was the only senator in New England who voted against universal background checks after 20 children were gunned down at Sandy Hook,” Warmington said in explaining her support for gun safety measures including universal background checks and waiting periods for gun buyers and a ban on military-style weapons in the wake of this week’s school shooting in Georgia.

Craig said she also would support such legislation and described efforts she undertook as mayor, including implementing a gun violence prevention strategy and an app that allows teachers to summon help quickly in an emergency.

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“We have to be thinking about both fronts, moving forward with legislation and what can we do to prevent this and protect families in our state,” she said. “There is nothing more important.”

Kiper, however, emphasized that gun violence is rare in New Hampshire and said he would focus his efforts on ensuring dangerous, mentally ill people didn’t have access to guns and protecting those at risk of domestic violence. He also parted ways with the other two candidates in refusing to take the state’s traditional pledge against a general sales or income tax. He said both need to be on the table to pay for schools and noted that he both collects a rooms and meals tax at his restaurant and pays a type of income tax, the business enterprise tax.

“Frankly it is a slap in the face to every restaurant owner in this state to say there’s no sales or income tax,” he said. “Those things exist, they provide income for the state, and the state could not function without them.”

The candidates largely agreed on most policy issues, though Craig and Warmington criticized each others’ backgrounds during a discussion of the state’s opioid crisis. Warmington once was a lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, but she says it was before the true dangers of the drug and the company’s deceitful marketing were fully known.

“To cherry pick my work is completely misleading,” said Warmington, who suggested that Craig has profited from the opioid crisis because her husband is a lawyer whose firm defended drug traffickers.

“My opponent is bringing my husband into this election because she can’t stand by her full record,” Craig responded. “I stand my by record, and I know the challenges that our local communities are facing when it comes to opioids.”

Kiper, who has lagged behind Craig and Warmington, later insisted that he is the only candidate who can appeal to younger, independent voters.

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“The reality is that it’s going to be very hard for Cinde and Joyce to beat Kelly Ayotte for reasons that really are not their fault, but the people that are going to decide this election are going to hear ‘lobbied for Purdue Pharma,’ and they’re going to vote for Kelly. They’re going to see videos of homeless people in Manchester, and they’re going to vote for Kelly Ayotte,” he said. “What I can offer you is that I do not have decades of political baggage.”