Republican Jay Ruais and Democrat Kevin Cavanaugh Advance in Mayoral Election for Manchester, New Hampshire

The primary set the general election for who will succeed retiring Mayor Joyce Craig (D).

The nonpartisan primary occurred today to select the candidates for the mayoral election in Manchester, New Hampshire this fall. The top two finishers on the primary ballot will advance to the general election regardless if one achieves a 50%+1 majority today.

Three-term Mayor Joyce Craig, a Democrat, opted not to run for a fourth term in office. Instead, she’s launched a campaign for the Democratic nomination for Governor of New Hampshire in 2024. As a result, her tenure as mayor will run from January 2018 to January 2024.

Republican Jay Ruais and Democrat Kevin Cavanaugh will advance to the November general election. The race was called in their favor as they lead with 41.68% and 24.93% of the vote, respectively. The remainder of the vote went to Democrat Will Stewart with 19.28% and Democrat June Trisciani with 14.12%. 10,308 votes have currently been counted.

Ruais currently serves as an infantry officer for the New Hampshire Army National Guard. He previously worked as Chief of Staff for former U.S. Representative Frank Guinta (R). 

Cavanaugh, Stewart and Trisciani all currently serve on the Manchester Board of Aldermen. Cavanaugh has represented Ward 1 since January 2015, Stewart has served Ward 2 since January 2018, and Trisciani has covered an At-Large District since January 2022.

The Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire serves for a two-year term with no limits on how many terms they may serve. The Mayor also presides over a 14-member Board of Aldermen.

The general election to elect the Mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire will occur on November 7, 2023.

According to 2022 estimates, Manchester is the 256th most populous city in the United States as well as the most populous city in New Hampshire.