Feltes kicks off 2020 Democratic bid for governor

New Hampshire Union Leader

Sep. 3--CONCORD -- Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes became the first declared Democratic candidate for governor Tuesday, vowing if elected to be a champion for working people.

Feltes, a 40-year-old Concord lawyer, made the announcement via a four-minute video in which the candidate's parents talked about his commitment to the vulnerable.

They said that's why Feltes chose to work for New Hampshire Legal Assistance rather than make much more money at a corporate law firm.

"I was raised in a working-class union household. My dad worked for almost 45 years in the same unairconditioned furniture factory, and my mom worked multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet," Feltes said in the video. "We knew what it was like to stretch a dollar. My folks instilled in me the values of hard work, honesty, and the belief that we are all in this together."

And Feltes charged two-term Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has been an obstacle to the middle class. The campaign video includes a montage of the record 53 vetoes Sununu has exercised on bills passed by the Democratically-controlled Legislature.

"We got a lot done, but, all the same, often we hit the same roadblock," Feltes said.

The Democratic primary for governor in 2020 could become a crowded one.

In July, Executive Councilor Andru Volinsky of Concord announced an exploratory committee, and all signs point to him making his candidacy official later this year.

Both 2018 Democratic nominee Molly Kelly of Harrisville and two-time candidate Steve Marchand of Portsmouth have said they are not ruling out campaigns next year.

Sununu has already declared he's seeking a third term.

As the Senate's top Democrat, Feltes has gotten his name on many signature bills and laws from Medicaid expansion that provided health insurance to more than 50,000 low-income adults to repealing the state's death penalty.

"It's time the people of New Hampshire had a governor who was on their side. Everyday folks are seeing costs rise, and family budgets are getting tighter and tighter. Health care costs, electric rates, and your property taxes are all rising while taxes on corporations are going down. That's not fair. It's time for a change," Feltes said in an e-mail message with the announcement and a plea for campaign dollars."I know this won't be easy, but I'm ready for the challenges ahead. Will you join us?"

The addiction crisis, abortion rights, paid family and medical leave, promoting environmental advocacy and raising the state's minimum wage are expected to be major issues Feltes will focus on during the campaign.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Feltes earned a master's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from the University of Iowa.

He and his wife, Erin, have two young daughters, Iris and Josie.

Feltes said working with the poor motivated him to run for the Senate and try to replace former Senate President Sylvia Larsen of Concord.

"Working as a legal aid lawyer I came to realize that the laws weren't written with working people in mind," Feltes said.

Most establishment Democrats in Concord backed Kassandra Ardinger for the Senate seat. Ardinger is a veteran of the Concord school board and wife of a politically-connected lobbyist.

"Most of the political insiders gave me no chance," Feltes said.

Feltes won that 2014 primary and went on to win his three general elections easily in one of the most Democratic Senate districts in the state.

Republican State Committee Executive Director Elliot Gault said Feltes is a tax-and-spend liberal who the voters would reject next year.

"Dan Feltes, in this session alone, sponsored over a quarter of a billion dollars in new spending, all while championing an income tax on the back of Granite State workers," Gault said.

"Dan Feltes pushed a budget that benefits his left-wing special interests, pursued job-killing tax hikes on New Hampshire employers and forced his Democrat Party to pass an unsustainable and bloated budget. On issue after issue, Dan Feltes has misled and been dishonest to the public about his true agenda, and we're ready to point out the facts over the course of his campaign. Dan Feltes fights for himself -- not for New Hampshire."

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