Ovide Lamontagne formally announced his candidacy for New Hampshire governor on Monday, just days after Gov. John Lynch announced he would not run for a fifth term.
Lamontagne is the first candidate to formally announce, making the commitment at a fundraiser breakfast held by the Bedford Republican Committee.
“We know that there is such important work to be done right here in New Hampshire, and the rest of the country is looking to us for the message we send,” Lamontagne said, according to the Union Leader.
“We need leaders at the state level that understand that we need to wean ourselves off of the federal dependency that we have allowed to occur in this country,” he added.
He also announced the formation of a steering committee of 200 people to aid his campaign.
Lamontagne lost a primary bid for the Senate in 2010. Since then, the lawyer has established himself as a “kingmaker,” with presidential candidates courting his support. Lamontagne has held a series of dinner parties for those candidates.