On the Dover, NH ballot: Governor of New Hampshire, general election, November 3, 2026.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kelly Ann Ayotte (Britannica) |
| Born | June 27, 1968, in Nashua, New Hampshire (Britannica) |
| Party | Republican (Britannica) |
| Current office | Governor of New Hampshire; assumed office January 9, 2025 (National Governors Association) |
| Seeking | Reelection to a second two-year term; filed June 4, 2026 (NHPR; Fox News) |
| Opponent | Cinde Warmington, Democrat (NHPR) |
| Education | B.A. in political science, Pennsylvania State University, 1990; J.D., Villanova University School of Law, 1993 (National Governors Association) |
| Personal | Nashua native; married to Joseph “Joe” Daley; two children; Catholic (National Governors Association; Britannica) |
| Years | Role |
|---|---|
| 1993–1994 | Law clerk, New Hampshire Supreme Court (Wikipedia) |
| 1994–1998 | Associate, McLane, Graf, Raulerson & Middleton (Wikipedia) |
| 1998–2003 | Prosecutor, New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office (Wikipedia) |
| 2003 | Legal counsel to Governor Craig Benson (National Governors Association) |
| 2003–2004 | Deputy attorney general of New Hampshire (Wikipedia) |
| 2004–2009 | Attorney general of New Hampshire; first woman to hold the office (National Governors Association) |
| 2011–2017 | U.S. senator from New Hampshire (American Women in Politics) |
| 2017 | White House “Sherpa” for Neil Gorsuch’s Supreme Court confirmation (National Governors Association) |
| 2017–2024 | Corporate and nonprofit board member, visiting fellow, and policy adviser (University of Chicago Institute of Politics) |
| 2025–present | Governor of New Hampshire (National Governors Association) |
| Issue | Stated position |
|---|---|
| Cost of living | Vetoed legislation that would have doubled tolls for drivers without a New Hampshire E-ZPass, saying she opposed raising tolls and wanted to make New Hampshire more affordable and attractive to tourists (NHPR). |
| Health care | Opposed the Affordable Care Act and repeatedly voted for repeal while in the Senate; led passage of the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act addressing opioid addiction (Wikipedia; National Governors Association). |
| Abortion | Promised in 2024 to veto legislation further restricting abortion beyond New Hampshire’s current law; vetoed House Bill 232, saying existing federal conscience protections were sufficient (NHPR). |
| LGBTQ rights | Vetoed HB 148, which would have allowed some spaces to segregate by biological sex; the evidence also states that she opposed same-sex marriage earlier in her career (CitizensCount; Britannica). |
| Education and school funding | Supports school choice and innovative charter schools but vetoed a bill to study making a charter-school model the default for public schools; vetoed a bill making it easier to remove books and other materials from public schools (NHPR). |
| Housing | Said she hoped to increase the housing supply but provided no specifics (NHPR). |
| Immigration | Supported outlawing municipal sanctuary policies and backed an agreement allowing New Hampshire State Police to participate in federal immigration-enforcement actions (NHPR). |
| Environment and energy | Supported the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan while in the Senate; opposed cap-and-trade and a carbon tax (Wikipedia). |
| Foreign policy | Took hawkish positions on national security, including opposing the Iran nuclear deal, supporting sanctions on Iran and North Korea, and calling for increased U.S. airstrikes against ISIS (Wikipedia). |
| EFA vouchers | Her administration expanded New Hampshire’s voucher-like school-choice program (NHPR). |
| Property tax | No position found in the evidence. |
| Northern Pass/energy siting | No position found in the evidence. |
| Vote | Position | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act | Led bipartisan Senate effort to pass the opioid-response bill | National Governors Association |
| Affordable Care Act repeal measures | Supported repeal and repeatedly voted for repeal | Wikipedia |
| Clean Power Plan-related measures | Supported the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan; was one of the first congressional Republicans to endorse it | Wikipedia |
| 2013 Gang of Eight immigration bill | Voted for the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act | Wikipedia |
| 2016 Senate reelection | Lost to Maggie Hassan by 1,017 votes, or 0.14 percentage points | Wikipedia |
| HB 232, 2026 | Vetoed the abortion-related conscience-rights bill | NHPR |
| SB 627, 2026 | Vetoed the toll-increase bill | NHPR |
| HB 1358, 2026 | Vetoed the universal charter-school study bill | NHPR |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Contributions from pharmaceutical companies and their lobbyists, 2009–2015 | $138,650; the evidence does not provide campaign fundraising totals (Wikipedia) |
| Pollster | Dates | Result |
|---|---|---|
| — | — | No polling results found in the evidence. |