MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) – Gov. Craig Benson and Hopkinton businessman John Lynch cruised to easy wins in their primaries Tuesday, launching a fall campaign with both candidates opposed to an income or sales tax.

With 82 percent of precincts counted in the GOP race, Benson had 36,607 votes, 77 percent, to 10,739 votes, 23 percent, for New Castle Selectman Charles Tarbell.

In the Democratic race, Lynch had 35,133 votes, 76 percent, to 11,190 votes, 24 percent, for income-tax advocate Paul McEachern.

Benson stuck to taxes when he spoke to his supporters in Manchester.

“Two years ago, I stood before the House and Senate and uttered these words: No income tax, no sales tax, no new taxes, no way,”‘ he said. “I have delivered on that promise.”

He promised to keep shaking up the status quo, streamlining government and tightly controlling spending without tax increases.

Lynch, also in Manchester, made ethics his top theme.

“Historically, we have prided ourselves on the integrity of our state government. New Hampshire governors, regardless of party, have put the interests of the people first.

“But that’s not true with our current governor, whose scandals and mismanagement tear at the very fabric of our state. … I will restore integrity to the governor’ office.”

During the campaign, Lynch made an issue of Benson appointees who were forced to leave office because of ethical lapses and alleged lapses. They included a “volunteer” who collected $187,000 in fees for steering a state insurance contract and a health commissioner who was trying to launch a health insurance company and sat on the board of a national lobbying group for ambulatory surgery centers.

Lynch contrasted his successful business experience in saving a furniture company with Benson’s take-no-prisoners style that alienated many legislators, and with questionable behavior by people Benson brought into state government.

Lynch promised to apply business principles to government, but in a kinder, more ethical way than Benson. He said he would have “zero tolerance for conflicts of interest.”

In the primary campaigns, Tarbell, 44, said Benson broke his promise to repeal the statewide property tax when he was elected two years ago.

Benson, 49, a co-founder of the former Cabletron Systems Inc., blamed his lack of progress on the Legislature. He proposed phasing out donor towns – communities that subsidize poorer towns’ schools through the tax.

Taxes dominated the Democratic primary as well.

McEachern, a Portsmouth lawyer, proposed replacing the state property tax with a low-rate income tax. Lynch – like the two Republicans – opposes an income tax.

Pledging to veto broad-based income and sales taxes was a prerequisite for candidates running for governor for 30 years until Gov. Jeanne Shaheen won a third term in 2000 despite refusing to make the promise.

Two years ago, Benson easily defeated Democrat Mark Fernald, who ran on an income tax platform while Benson pledged to block all new taxes.

Lynch and Tarbell favor repealing the state property tax, while Benson said he would drastically reduce it. All would target the remaining state school to the poorest communities.

Lynch supports raising the tobacco tax, if necessary, to replace the roughly $22 million in state property taxes that actually changes hands.

Speaking to supporters in Portsmouth, McEachern, 66, congratulated Lynch and said he would help him in any way that Lynch asked. He then targeted Benson.

“We have as governor a man who is really an anarchist who wants to stop and dismantle government,” he said.

in the state and who doesn’t lose a wink a sleep over that,” he said.

On taxes, McEachern said, “I assure you even though we lost this battle we will win this war on tax equity in New Hampshire.”

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On the Net:

www.benson04.com

www.johnlynch04.com

www.paulforgov.com

www.tarbell2004.com

AP-ES-09-14-04 2216EDT