Sununu Leads Kelly In NH Governor Race: UNH Poll

CONCORD, NH -- New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu holds a substantial lead over Democratic challenger Molly Kelly, according to a University of New Hampshire poll released Friday. The latest Granite State Poll found the Republican Sununu is leading Kelly by a margin of 50 percent to 39 percent with less than a month to go until the election.

"Governor Chris Sununu's job performance and his personal popularity ratings remain high as the November election approaches," the poll's authors -- Andrew Smith, Zachary Azem and Sean McKinley, said in a statetment. "Democrats are more interested in this midterm election than they have been since 2006."

Kelly, 69, is a former state senator who grew up in Keene and now lives in Harrisville. Sununu, 43, is seeking re-election to his second term as governor.

Kelly defeated Steve Marchand in the primary in September, winning 66 percent of the vote compared to Marchand's 34 percent. Marchand is a former Portsmouth mayor.

Sununu has a strong approval score compared to the state's last four governors, according to the Granite State Poll. Only Democrat John Lynch had a higher score, according to the poll.

The survey was based on 643 phone interviews with New Hampshire adults from October 10 to October 18.

• University of New Hamopshire Granite State Poll October 19, 2018 (PDF file)

Photo credits: nh.gov (left) and Molly Kelly (right)