Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern is running for New Hampshire governor in 2016.
Van Ostern announced his bid Thursday at a meeting of business and education leaders.
The 36-year-old from Concord is the first Democrat to announce a campaign. Republican Executive Councilor Chris Sununu is also running. Incumbent Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan this week announced her campaign for U.S. Senate.
Van Ostern has been on the Executive Council since 2012. He works at Southern New Hampshire University where he helped launch its College for America. Before that, he was a business manager at Stonyfield yogurt and managed a consulting business that worked with small businesses and non-profits.
He says a key issue is improving the economy by keeping taxes low and supporting commuter rail, among other things. He also says it's important to provide access to quality health care, including birth control at Planned Parenthood, and addiction treatment services.
