- John Lynch (New Hampshire)
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For other people named John Lynch, see John Lynch (disambiguation).
John Lynch 
Lynch speaking at a campaign rally for Barack Obama in 2008. 80th Governor of New Hampshire Incumbent Assumed office
January 6, 2005Preceded by Craig Benson Personal details Born November 25, 1952
Waltham, MassachusettsPolitical party Democratic Party Spouse(s) Susan Lynch Children Jacqueline
Julia
HaydenResidence Bridges House Alma mater Georgetown University
Harvard University
University of New HampshireProfession Attorney Religion Roman Catholicism Signature 
Website Official website John H. Lynch (born November 25, 1952) is the 80th and current Governor of New Hampshire.[1] Lynch was first elected in 2004 and has been re-elected every two years since. On September 15, 2011, Lynch announced he would not seek a fifth two-year term in 2012.[2]
Contents
Personal life and career
Lynch was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, the fifth of William and Margaret Lynch's six children. He attended local schools prior to earning his undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire in 1974, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Prior to his election, Lynch's career included work as Director of Admissions at Harvard Business School, CEO of Knoll Inc., a national furniture manufacturer, and president of The Lynch Group, a business consulting firm in Manchester, New Hampshire. Lynch was serving as Chairman of the University System of New Hampshire Board of Trustees when he announced he would run for governor.
While CEO of Knoll Inc., he transformed the $50 million a year losses into a profit of nearly $240 million. Under his leadership, Knoll created new jobs, gave factory workers annual bonuses, established a scholarship program for the children of employees, created retirement plans for employees who didn’t have any, and gave workers stock in the company.[1]
He and his wife, Dr. Susan Lynch, a pediatrician at Concord Hospital and a Childhood Obesity Activist, live in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. They have three children, Jacqueline, Julia and Hayden. Jacqu the eldest, recently graduated from Bucknell University. Julia currently attends Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. Hayden currently attends Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Governorship
Elections
A businessman and Democratic Party politician, Lynch was elected the 80th Governor of New Hampshire on November 2, 2004, defeating Republican incumbent Craig Benson by a narrow margin. Lynch was the first challenger to defeat a one-term incumbent in the state in 78 years. He was sworn in on January 6, 2005.
Lynch was elected to a second two-year term by a 74-26 margin over Republican Jim Coburn. Lynch's 74 percent share of the vote was the largest margin of victory ever in a New Hampshire gubernatorial race.[3]
Lynch was elected to a third two-year term in 2008 by a 70-28 over Republican state senator Joe Kenney.[4]
Governor Lynch won a historic fourth term on November 2, 2010. According to the Concord Monitor "When he begins his fourth two-year term in January, Lynch will become the state's longest-serving governor in nearly two centuries. John Taylor Gilman was the last governor to serve longer than six years, serving 14 one-year terms as governor between 1794 and 1816. (The state switched to two-year terms in 1877)"[5]
Job approval ratings
In a Survey USA Governor's Ratings poll released on December 20, 2005, Lynch was ranked as the most popular of all Democratic incumbents, with 69 percent approval versus 21 percent disapproval. As of February 2008, he had an approval rating of 73 percent, one of the highest such ratings in the country.[6] As of June 20, 2008 his approval rating was 57 percent good or excellent and 11 percent poor.[7]
After his successful re-election in 2006, his approval rating rose to 79 percent in November and his disapproval rating dropped to 17 percent. This made him the second most popular governor in the nation behind John Hoeven.[8] The latest poll released April 23, 2009 by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center found 70 percent of New Hampshire adults approve of how Lynch is handling his job as governor.[9]
April 2010 polling by Rasmussen reports that Lynch's approval ratings stand at 59%.
Work as Governor
As governor, Lynch has refused to enact a Sales or Income Tax for New Hampshire, in spite of the fact that such broadbased taxes had the support of the Democratic majority in the NH house. He has increased the state's Rainy Day reserve fund to record levels.[citation needed] When the national economic downturn hit New Hampshire, Lynch cut spending while preserving essential services.[citation needed] In 2008, New Hampshire won the "Most Livable State Award" for the fifth consecutive year.[10]
In his second term, Lynch supported efforts to help small businesses better afford health insurance for their workers; to join a regional effort to fight global warming; to help more young people graduate from high school; and to build New Hampshire's economy. Under Lynch, New Hampshire offered a research-and-development tax credit to encourage businesses to innovate; a new tax credit focused on bringing jobs to the struggling North Country; and a job training fund to help workers and businesses compete globally. Lynch is currently working to bring New Hampshire in line with the Renewable Energy Act.
Lynch has worked with the Attorney General, police chiefs from across New Hampshire and lawmakers to pass sex offender laws; increased the state police; and increased the number of state prosecutors. New Hampshire was rated the "Safest State" in the Nation in 2008 and 2009. New Hampshire again boasts the nation’s lowest murder rate and the second-lowest rates for aggravated assault, according to CQ Press. Lynch issued the following statement after the announcement of the award in 2009:
I am proud that working together we continue to keep New Hampshire the ‘Safest State’ in the nation. Our low crime rate has long been a part of what makes this such a great place to live and work, and it is important that we work to maintain our high quality of life. With this recognition, we should take time to thank the hard-working men and women of New Hampshire law enforcement who work every day to help keep us all safe.[11]In April 2006, Lynch was awarded the National Chairman of Volunteers Award for Volunteer Excellence by the American Red Cross, mainly due to his leadership during the 2005 floods.[12]
On June 3, 2009, Lynch signed a same-sex marriage bill into law, despite being personally opposed to gay marriages, making New Hampshire the fifth state in the U.S. to allow such unions.[13]
Organizations
As Governor, Lynch is a member of both the National Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association.
2008 presidential election
Lynch, one of eight superdelegates from New Hampshire,[14] remained neutral during the 2008 primary to "focus on being a good host to the primary", according to a statement by spokesman Colin Manning. At an event on June 27, 2008 in Unity, New Hampshire, Lynch formally endorsed Barack Obama for President.[15] His wife, Susan, endorsed Hillary Clinton during the New Hampshire Primary and served as national Co-Chairwoman of "Hillary for President". "As a mother and as a pediatrician, I share Hillary Clinton’s commitment to fighting for children and families. We face big challenges, and I believe Hillary Clinton is the best candidate to deliver the changes we need," Dr. Lynch said in a statement shortly before an appearance with Clinton. During the 2004 presidential election, Dr. Lynch supported Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean for President and was a member of "Doctors for Dean".[16]
Electoral history
Main article: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2004New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election 2004 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic John Lynch 340,299 51.07 +12.87 Republican Craig Benson (Incumbent) 325,981 48.93 -9.67 Main article: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2006New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election 2006 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic John Lynch (Incumbent) 289,677 73.5 +22.5 Republican Jim Coburn 104,223 26.5 -22.7 Main article: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2008New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election 2008 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic John Lynch (Incumbent) 477,254 69.8 -3.7 Republican Joseph Kenney 190,590 27.9 +1.4 Libertarian Susan Newell 14,987 2.2% +2.2 Main article: New Hampshire gubernatorial election, 2010New Hampshire Gubernatorial Election 2010 Party Candidate Votes % ±% Democratic John Lynch (Incumbent) 240,436 52.6 -17.2 Republican John Stephen 205,626 45.0% +17.1 Libertarian John Babiarz 10,089 2.2% +0.0 References
- ^ a b "About Governor Lynch | New Hampshire Governor John Lynch". Governor.nh.gov. 1952-11-25. http://www.governor.nh.gov/biography/index.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ "New Hampshire governor says will not seek fifth term". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/09/15/us-newhampshire-idUSTRE78E4MQ20110915. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
- ^ "Landslide for Lynch one for history books - Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2006". Unionleader.com. 2006-11-08. http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Landslide+for+Lynch+one+for+history+books&articleId=d605035b-90bb-4833-8c47-6d0e48656745. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ "Local and National Election Results - Election Center 2008 - Elections & Politics from CNN.com". CNN. http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/individual/#mapGNH. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
- ^ . http://www.concordmonitor.com/article/223230/governor-wins-two-more-years.
- ^ Lynch still enjoys high job approval - Boston.com
- ^ Rasmussen Reports: The most comprehensive public opinion coverage ever provided for a presidential election
- ^ http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2006/Approval50StateGovernor061120.htm
- ^ Associated, The (2009-04-24). "Poll: Support for Lynch still strong". Concord Monitor. http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090424/NEWS01/904240343. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ "18th Annual Most Livable State Award" (PDF). http://os.cqpress.com/StateRank2008_Rankings.pdf. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "American Red Cross Honors John Lynch". American Red Cross. http://www.redcross.org/article/0,1072,0_312_5265,00.html. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
- ^ Jim Cole / AP. "N.H. governor signs gay marriage bill - U.S. news - Life - msnbc.com". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31090983/. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ "New Hampshire 2008 presidential primary and superdelegates". SourceWatch. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=New_Hampshire_2008_presidential_primary_and_superdelegates. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
- ^ http://www.politickernh.com/brianlawson/2189/lynch-formally-endorses-obama
- ^ Associated Press. "N.H. first lady endorses Clinton". SeacoastOnline.com. http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071126/NEWS/71126011. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
External links
- New Hampshire Governor John Lynch official state site
- John Lynch for New Hampshire official campaign site
- Biography at the National Governors Association
- Biography, interest group ratings, public statements, vetoes and campaign finances at Project Vote Smart
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Campaign contributions at FollowTheMoney.org
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
Party political offices Preceded by
Mark FernaldDemocratic nominee for Governor of New Hampshire
2004, 2006, 2008, 2010Most recent Political offices Preceded by
Craig BensonGovernor of New Hampshire
2005–presentIncumbent United States order of precedence Preceded by
Joe Biden
as Vice PresidentOrder of Precedence of the United States
Within New HampshireSucceeded by
Mayor of city
in which event is heldSucceeded by
Otherwise John Boehner
as Speaker of the House of RepresentativesPreceded by
Nikki Haley
as Governor of South CarolinaOrder of Precedence of the United States
Outside New HampshireSucceeded by
Bob McDonnell
as Governor of VirginiaCurrent governors of U.S. states and territories AL Bentley (R) AK Parnell (R) AZ Brewer (R) AR Beebe (D) CA Brown (D) CO Hickenlooper (D) CT Malloy (D) DE Markell (D) FL Scott (R) GA Deal (R) HI Abercrombie (D) ID Otter (R) IL Quinn (D) IN Daniels (R) IA Branstad (R) KS Brownback (R) KY Beshear (D) LA Jindal (R) ME LePage (R) MD O'Malley (D) MA Patrick (D) MI Snyder (R) MN Dayton (D) MS Barbour (R) MO Nixon (D) MT Schweitzer (D) NE Heineman (R) NV Sandoval (R) NH Lynch (D) NJ Christie (R) NM Martinez (R) NY Cuomo (D) NC Perdue (D) ND Dalrymple (R) OH Kasich (R) OK Fallin (R) OR Kitzhaber (D) PA Corbett (R) RI Chafee (I) SC Haley (R) SD Daugaard (R) TN Haslam (R) TX Perry (R) UT Herbert (R) VT Shumlin (D) VA McDonnell (R) WA Gregoire (D) WV Tomblin (D) WI Walker (R) WY Mead (R) DC Gray (Mayor) (D)
Territories:AS Tulafono (D) GU Calvo (R) MP Fitial (R) PR Fortuño (R) VI de Jongh (D) Governors of New Hampshire 
Weare · Langdon · Sullivan · Langdon · Sullivan · J. Bartlett · Gilman · Langdon · J. Smith · Langdon · Plumer · Gilman · Plumer · S. Bell · Woodbury · Morril · Pierce · J. Bell · Pierce · Harvey · Dinsmoor · Badger · Hill · Page · Hubbard · Steele · Colby · Williams · Dinsmoor Jr. · Martin · Baker · Metcalf · Haile · Goodwin · Berry · Gilmore · Smyth · Harriman · Stearns · Weston · Straw · Weston · Cheney · Prescott · Head · C. Bell · Hale · Currier · Sawyer · Goodell · Tuttle · J. B. Smith · Busiel · Ramsdell · Rollins · Jordan · Bachelder · McLane · Floyd · Quinby · Bass · Felker · R. Spaulding · Keyes · J. H. Bartlett · A. Brown · F. Brown · Winant · H. Spaulding · Tobey · Winant · Bridges · Murphy · Blood · Dale · Adams · H. Gregg · Dwinell · Powell · King · Peterson · Thomson · Gallen · Roy · Sununu · J. Gregg · Merrill · Shaheen · Benson · LynchCategories:- 1952 births
- American manufacturing businesspeople
- Democratic Party state governors of the United States
- Georgetown University Law Center alumni
- Governors of New Hampshire
- Harvard Business School alumni
- Living people
- New Hampshire Democrats
- People from Waltham, Massachusetts
- University of New Hampshire alumni
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