The Latest: NH Republican Gov. Chris Sununu wins third term

New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu has defeated state Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes to win a third, two-year term

2020 Election Governor Sununu (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

CONCORD, N.H. — New Hampshire’s Republican Gov. Chris Sununu defeated state Senate Majority Leader Dan Feltes on Tuesday to win a third, two-year term.

Sununu has enjoyed widespread support for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and overcame his opponent’s efforts to tie him to President Donald Trump

While Democrats held majorities at the Statehouse during Sununu’s second term, he made lavish use of his veto pen, often blocking bills sponsored by his opponent. He twice vetoed Feltes’ paid family and medical leave proposals, which he called an income tax.

Feltes denied that characterization, and argued that unlike Sununu, he was running to help working families, not out of a sense of entitlement. Sununu’s father served as governor in the 1980s, and his brother served in Congress.

Libertarian Darryl Perry also was on the ballot.

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DOVER, Del. — Democratic incumbent John Carney has defeated Republican challenger Julianne Murray to win a second term as Delaware’s governor.

Carney enjoyed voter registration numbers that heavily favor Democrats in thwarting Murray’s upset bid Tuesday.

The race was seen partly as a referendum on Carney’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. His closures and restrictions on businesses led to thousands of Delawareans losing their jobs and filing unemployment claims in record-shattering numbers.

Murray sued Carney herself over a ban on short-term rentals he imposed early in the virus outbreak. The lawsuit remains pending in federal court.

Carney has defended his actions and said he will continue to work to protect Delawareans from COVID-19.

He also has pledged to address racial justice issues, strengthen public schools and improve Delaware’s infrastructure.

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice has won reelection.

He fended off a Democratic challenger by positioning himself as an ally of President Donald Trump with the experience to create jobs.

Justice beat Democrat Ben Salango, a Kanawha county commissioner. Salango tried to overcome his lack of name recognition with a campaign aimed at painting the billionaire governor as more interested in running his business empire than fixing the state’s roads and economy.

Justice will serve a second and final term under the state’s term limits.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Republican Eric Holcomb has won reelection as Indiana governor, fending off challengers who criticized his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Holcomb went into his campaign for a second term with a huge fundraising advantage and didn’t face any well-known challengers. Holcomb sidestepped any criticism of President Donald Trump even as Holcomb promoted face mask use and issued a statewide mask mandate in July.

Holcomb overcame Democrat Woody Myer, a former state health commissioner who called for tougher anti-virus actions as Indiana’s COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations climbed steeply since nearly all state restrictions were lifted in September.

Some conservatives called Holcomb’s actions excessive and were, instead, backing Libertarian candidate Donald Rainwater.

Holcomb was lieutenant governor under then-Gov. Mike Pence and replaced Pence as the Republican governor candidate in 2016 after Pence became Trump’s vice presidential running mate.