23-07-2025
Republican incumbent Ruais stands alone in Manchester, N.H., mayoral race — for now
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That leaves lingering questions about whether the Democrats will field a viable candidate or give Ruais an unobstructed path to another two-year term.
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Although the mayoral race is nominally nonpartisan, leading contenders typically align openly with either Republicans or Democrats. The off-year contest has historically been viewed as a potential indicator for how voter sentiments might be shifting ahead of the following year's state and federal elections — so the absence of a Democratic challenger at this stage is striking.
That said, the Democratic absence won't persist much longer, according to Joshua F. Query, chairperson for the Manchester City Democrats, who said the party's preferred mayoral candidate will step forward Thursday. Who will that candidate be? Query declined to say.
It looks like Kevin J. Cavanaugh, who lost to Ruais last time, won't make the 2025 race a repeat of the 2023 matchup. Cavanaugh has instead filed to run this year for the Ward 1 aldermanic seat he used to hold.
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Whoever jumps into the mayoral race with Ruais will have their work cut out for them. The incumbent's campaign has reported raising more than $500,000 since January, with 90 percent of that haul still sitting in his war chest.
This story appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. To receive it via email Monday through Friday,
Steven Porter can be reached at
