Kelly Ayotte
Republican candidate for governor of New Hampshire, the incumbent. Every point on this page links to its source. We don't grade candidates or tell you how to vote. As of 2026-10-08.
At a glance
| Party | Republican |
| Running for | Governor, New Hampshire |
| Born | 1968 |
| Education | Pennsylvania State University; Villanova University; Nashua High School South; Villanova University School of Law |
| Occupation | lawyer, politician, prosecutor, law clerk, adviser |
Source: Wikidata
Record
| U.S. Senator, New Hampshire | 2011–2017 | Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress |
Full official biography, including earlier offices (Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress)
In Congress: 89 bills and resolutions sponsored, 1158 cosponsored, 1 became law on their own (a bill folded into a larger law isn't counted). Congress.gov
- First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act (Public Law 114-268, 2016-12-14)
Where they stand
In their own words, from their campaign and official websites, summarised in plain English. Under each issue, their Senate votes: Final passage votes in the Senate in the last two Congresses (2023 to now), matched to each issue by Congress.gov's own topic for the bill (and its subject tags, unless it is a catch-all bill with dozens), closest votes first: a lopsided vote says little about where anyone stands.
Economy and cost of living
Ayotte says she signed laws to speed up housing construction and make it easier to build more homes, and that she is pushing utilities and regulators to lower electric bills while bringing more energy to the state.
Taxes and government spending
Ayotte says she is holding the line against new taxes, with no income tax and no sales tax, and she signed a balanced budget with no new taxes. She announced support for a constitutional amendment banning a state income tax.
“Kelly is holding the line against new taxes — no income tax, no sales tax, EVER!”
Health care
Ayotte says she funded mental health and substance use treatment, protected Medicaid, and secured the largest federal award in New England to expand affordable health care. She says she will keep fighting insurers that deny coverage for children's mental health.
Social Security and Medicare
No stated position on their website.
Immigration and the border
No stated position on their website.
Abortion
No stated position on their website.
Energy and climate
Ayotte says she wants to lower electric bills and bring more energy to New Hampshire, including by pressing utilities and the regional grid operator on costs. She supports developing next-generation nuclear power and expanding natural gas, including the Constitution Pipeline.
“I am directing our Department of Energy to build pathways to foster the next generation of nuclear power right here in New Hampshire,”
Guns
No stated position on their website.
Crime and policing
Ayotte says she fixed the broken bail system, strengthened protections for crime victims, and restored retirement benefits for first responders. She says the death penalty was the right sentence for Michael Addison, who killed Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs, and that it should stay in place for him.
“The death penalty was the appropriate sentence there. That’s what the jury came up with.”
Education
Ayotte says she is investing more money per student than ever before, giving more support for special education, and expanding childcare scholarships. She says she got cell phones out of classrooms and is prioritizing reading and workforce development.
Foreign policy and defense
No stated position on their website.
Elections and ethics in government
No stated position on their website.
Ratings and endorsements
No ratings: the groups we track score votes in Congress and endorse federal candidates, and we have not collected ratings or endorsements for governor candidates.
Money
Candidates for governor report to the state, not the FEC, and this page doesn't cover state reports. New Hampshire's campaign-finance reports ↗
Praise, criticism and controversies
These sections are not covered for governor candidates yet: every item in them is checked by a person before it is shown, and that review covers Senate candidates for now.
From Semblen
No ads from this campaign's own committee in our index yet. See the race →
Sources
- https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/A000368
- https://kellyfornh.com
- https://kellyfornh.com/2025/06/10/n-h-ranked-first-in-nation-for-overall-child-well-being-per-new-report
- https://kellyfornh.com/2025/07/03/first-responders-praise-ayottes-push-for-benefit-changes
- https://kellyfornh.com/2025/11/08/taking-manhattan-ayotte-for-the-win
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/02/05/ayotte-calls-for-next-generation-nuclear-outlines-education-initiatives-in-state-of-the-state-address
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/04/15/as-ayotte-backs-ban-on-income-tax-income-tax-advocates-back-warmington
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/05/19/professional-fire-fighters-of-new-hampshire-endorse-governor-ayotte
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/07/06/new-england-police-benevolent-association-endorses-governor-kelly-ayotte
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/07/07/coming-soon-the-return-of-warmingtons-massachusetts-style-energy-plan
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/08/03/opioid-lobbyist-warmington-has-no-explanation-for-advocacy-on-behalf-of-notorious-pill-mill
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/08/24/new-ad-democrats-have-serious-issues-with-opioid-lobbyist-warmington
- https://kellyfornh.com/2026/10/06/icymi-police-leaders-backing-ayotte-criticize-warmingtons-death-penalty-stance-in-briggs-case
- https://kellyfornh.com/about-kelly
- https://kellyfornh.com/accomplishments
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