Republican Kelly Ayotte projected to win New Hampshire governor’s race

Former GOP Senator Kelly Ayotte is projected to win the New Hampshire governor’s race, beating challenger Joyce Craig, the Democratic Mayor of the state’s largest city. 

The likely victory cements Ayotte’s political comeback after she was ousted from her Senate seat by New Hampshire voters in the 2016 elections against Democratic challenger Maggie Hassan. 

Kelly Ayotte, who served as New Hampshire’s Senator from 2011 to 2017, was consistently favored in the polls even as the state increasingly trends more Democratic in national elections. President Joe Biden won the state in 2020 by about 7 points. 

Ayotte was a victim of that leftward trend when she lost her Senate seat in 2017 after one term in office. The narrow loss in a hard fought reelection came as Republican Donald Trump rose on the national stage. 

Trump would also lose New Hampshire in the 2016 elections, despite winning enough electoral votes to become president. Though, Ayotte did not support Trump’s first bid for president, she endorsed him this year. 

Craig, serves as the Democratic mayor of Manchester. Her first elected position was as a school board member for the city. Craig previously lost a bid for mayor narrowly in 2015.