With 2 women running, the New Hampshire governor’s race is both close and personal

Associated Press

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — None of the nation’s 12 female governors are up for reelection, but five women are competing as major party gubernatorial nominees in four states. Two of them are in New Hampshire, where Republican Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Joyce Craig hope to succeed Gov. Chris Sununu. Both candidates and many voters say gender is a nonissue, but it has influenced their approaches to reproductive health care. Both describe their miscarriages in campaign ads. Ayotte’s ad affirms support for in vitro fertilization, while Craig’s promises broader protections of reproductive rights. Ayotte has said she would veto any further abortion restrictions, but Craig says the former senator can’t be trusted given her record in Washington.