Outgoing Gov. John Lynch has endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan as his replacement. Lynch announced his endorsement during a rally at the Concord City Auditorium on Oct. 9.

“Maggie Hassan is the leader we need to keep New Hampshire moving forward—creating jobs, ensuring our kids get the best education possible and keeping New Hampshire a business-friendly state with no sales or income tax,” Lynch said.

Since Lynch is a Democrat, it’s no surprise he endorsed Hassan over her Republican opponent, Ovide Lamontagne. But, since Lynch is one of the most popular governors in state history, his endorsement could carry some weight.

Hassan, of Exeter, worked with Lynch during her three terms in the state Senate from 2004 to 2010. Lynch is not running for a fifth term in November.

At the rally, Hassan called Lynch a “role model” and said she would continue his tradition of working in a bipartisan manner. Her campaign quoted Lamontagne as saying he would be a “radically different” governor than Lynch. Hassan said Lamontagne’s plans are aligned with those of controversial Republican House Speaker William O’Brien.

“We can continue in the direction of Gov. John Lynch, bringing people together to move New Hampshire forward, or we can go in the direction of Speaker Bill O’Brien and the current legislature, where the needs of middle-class families take a backseat to an extreme social agenda,” Hassan said.