Republicans hold the most contested governorship this year

Republicans are vying for the governor’s office in New Hampshire in what has turned out to be this year’s presidential election, a contest that has drawn national attention and foreign money.

The Fox News Decision Desk projects that former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican nominee, will defeat Democratic nominee and former Mayor Joyce Craig of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city.

Ayotte will replace the popular GOP Governor. Chris Sununu, who decided not to run for re-election after winning and serving four consecutive two-year terms as governor. [New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the U.S. that elect governors every two years.]

Ayotte, a former state attorney general who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 before losing re-election six years later, easily beat a crowded field in early September to win the GOP nomination, while Craig edged out Councilwoman Cinde Warmington. to hold the Democratic Alliance nomination.

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Although New Hampshire traditionally hosts the nation’s first presidential primary, its primary state is one of the latest on the election calendar, setting the pace for the general election.

National Democrats have spent a lot of time in the race, pouring millions into targeting Ayotte for her Senate votes a decade ago on abortion, and her support this year for former President Trump, whom she defeated in the 2016 election.

Ayotte and her GOP allies also spent a lot of time targeting Craig on crime and homelessness while he ran Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city.

And pointing to neighboring Massachusetts, where Democrats control state government and dominate the congressional delegation, Ayotte made his “Don’t Mass UP NH” slogan his campaign rallying cry.

Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee for New Hampshire, addresses voters in Concord, NH, Oct. 6. (Joyce Craig gubernatorial campaign)

Ayotte was a rising star in the Republican Party in 2016 with a rising profile on national security.

But just before the 2016 election, he withdrew his support for Trump over the “Access Hollywood” controversy, where Trump in a years-old video made very crude comments about grabbing women without their consent.

“I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about humiliating and torturing women,” Ayotte said at the time.

Ayotte lost re-election by a narrow margin of just over 1,000 votes to Gov. Then-Democratic Maggie Hassan.

But Ayotte narrowly beat Trump in New Hampshire, as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton beat the White House winner by less than 3,000 votes.

Before fully retiring from New Hampshire, Ayotte stuck around Washington for a while after his term ended, shepherding then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (Trump’s first high court pick) through his successful Senate confirmation process.

In his post-Senate career, Ayotte enjoyed a good time as he served on corporate boards and in advisory roles in both the public and private sectors. Among them was News Corp., which was the parent company of Fox News.

Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican gubernatorial nominee of New Hampshire, addresses voters at the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival. (Campaign by Kelly Ayotte)

Ayotte in middle age has also kept a close eye on New Hampshire politics, and has made occasional appearances The Republican Party events in the province. He continued to write opinions on major national, national and international issues.

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Ayotte announced his bid for the presidency last year, after Sununu announced that he would not run for re-election in 2024.

Ayotte has remained neutral in the New Hampshire presidential primary, but endorsed Trump in early March, shortly after the GOP nomination.

He’s going to fix this crisis on the southern border, and we’re seeing it on the northern border, to keep the country safe,” Ayotte told Fox News Digital in a June interview.

Ayotte’s main opponent on the GOP front, former state Senate President Chuck Morse, voiced his support for Trump and highlighted Ayotte’s previous criticism of the former president.

But Trump remains neutral in the New Hampshire Senate, as Ayotte crushed Morse and the rest of the GOP field.

The former president, far behind in the polls in the Granite State, also avoided the state in the general election and only put a minimum of resources in New Hampshire.

That meant Ayotte, despite the strong support he received from the Republican Governors Association, was on his own as he battled Craig in the general election.

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