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Republicans will maintain onto the governor’s workplace in swing state New Hampshire in what become probably the most extremely contested gubernatorial election this yr, a showdown that grabbed tons of nationwide consideration and outdoors cash.
The Fox Information Determination Desk initiatives that former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican nominee, will defeat Democratic nominee and former Mayor Joyce Craig of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest metropolis.
Ayotte will succeed well-liked GOP Gov. Chris Sununu, who determined towards working for re-election after successful and serving 4 straight two-year phrases as governor. [New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the U.S. that elect governors every two years.]
“Thanks, New Hampshire! Able to hit the bottom working to maintain our great state protected, affluent and free. Let’s get to work!,” Ayotte wrote in a social media publish after her race was known as.
Ayotte, a former state legal professional normal who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 earlier than narrowly dropping re-election six years later, simply defeated a crowded discipline of rivals in early September to win the GOP nomination, whereas Craig edged out Govt Councilor Cinde Warmington to seize the Democratic nomination.
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Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican candidate for governor, is surrounded by supporters as she recordsdata her candidacy on the Secretary of State’s workplace, on June 13, 2024 in Harmony, N.H. (Fox Information – Paul Steinhauser)
Whereas New Hampshire historically holds the first-in-the-nation presidential main, its state main is likely one of the newest on the electoral calendar, which units up a mad rush to the final election.
Nationwide Democrats spent closely within the race, pouring in tens of millions to focus on Ayotte for her Senate votes a decade in the past on abortion, and for her help this yr for former President Trump, whom she had disavowed in her 2016 election defeat.
Ayotte and her GOP allies additionally spent closely concentrating on Craig over crime and homelessness throughout her tenure steering Manchester, which is New Hampshire’s largest metropolis.
And pointing to neighboring Massachusetts, the place Democrats management the state authorities and dominate the congressional delegation, Ayotte made her slogan “Do not Mass UP NH” her marketing campaign’s rallying cry.
Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee in New Hampshire, speaks with voters in Harmony, N.H., Oct. 6. (Joyce Craig gubernatorial marketing campaign )
Ayotte was a rising star within the Republican Celebration in 2016 with a burgeoning profile on nationwide safety.
However simply forward of the 2016 election, she withdrew her help for Trump over the “Entry Hollywood” controversy, during which Trump in a years-old video made extraordinarily crude feedback about grabbing girls with out their consent.
“I can not and won’t help a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting girls,” Ayotte mentioned on the time.
Ayotte misplaced re-election by a razor-thin margin of simply over 1,000 votes by the hands of then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.
However Ayotte barely outperformed Trump in New Hampshire, as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton edged the White Home winner by lower than 3,000 votes.
Earlier than retiring full time to New Hampshire, Ayotte caught round Washington briefly after the tip of her time period, shepherding then-Supreme Courtroom nominee Neil Gorsuch (Trump’s first excessive courtroom nominee) by way of his profitable Senate affirmation course of.
In her post-Senate profession, Ayotte loved a profitable interval as she served on company boards and in advisory roles at each private and non-private firms. Amongst them was Information Corp., which at one time was the mother or father firm of Fox Information.
Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in New Hampshire, speaks with voters on the Hampton Seaside Seafood Competition. (Kelly Ayotte marketing campaign)
Ayotte throughout the intervening years additionally saved an in depth eye on New Hampshire politics, and would often seem at Republican Celebration occasions within the state. She additionally continued to write down opinion items on main state, nationwide and worldwide points.
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Ayotte introduced her gubernatorial bid final yr, after Sununu introduced that he would not search re-election in 2024.
Ayotte stayed impartial in New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential main, however she endorsed Trump in early March, proper after he clinched the GOP nomination.
He’ll repair the catastrophe over the southern border, and we’re additionally seeing it on the northern border, to maintain the nation protected,” Ayotte advised Fox Information Digital in a June interview.
Ayotte’s foremost opponent within the GOP main, former state Senate President Chuck Morse, touted his help for Trump and spotlighted Ayotte’s previous criticism of the previous president.
However Trump stayed impartial within the New Hampshire Senate main, as Ayotte crushed Morse and the remainder of the GOP discipline.
The previous president, far behind within the polls within the Granite State, additionally steered away from the state within the normal election and positioned solely the naked minimal of sources in New Hampshire.
That meant that Ayotte, apart from the sturdy help she obtained from the Republican Governors Affiliation, was totally on her personal as she battled Craig within the normal election.
Get the most recent updates from the 2024 marketing campaign path, unique interviews and extra at our Fox Information Digital election hub.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based mostly in New Hampshire.
