Republican Kelly Ayotte ran for governor on a mantra of ‘Don’t Mass up New Hampshire.’ (Will Steinfeld/New Hampshire Bulletin)
Republican former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte will succeed Gov. Chris Sununu as New Hampshire’s next governor, after beating her Democratic opponent, former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig, and waging a campaign centered around opposition to progressive policies in the Granite State.
With 57% of the vote in, the Associated Press called the race for Ayotte shortly after 10:30 p.m. Ayotte, of Nashua, had secured 51.8% of the vote to Craig’s 46.1% when the race was called.
The victory came after a two-month general election campaign that focused on the identity of the state. Ayotte, the former New Hampshire attorney general, painted herself as a tough-on-crime candidate who could continue Sununu’s economic policies, reduce illegal immigration, and oppose new taxes. She ran under the mantra “Don’t Mass Up New Hampshire” and warned that a Craig victory would usher in policies similar to other New England states that would raise taxes and hurt New Hampshire’s business climate.
Craig attempted to present a message of change from Sununu, who has served as governor since 2016. She argued she would push for the enshrinement of abortion rights, and argued the state needs better investments in education, housing, and green energy. And she leaned into her experience as the Manchester mayor to argue she had the executive experience to pull it off.
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