Former New Hampshire Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte announced Monday that she was running for governor of Granite State.
Ayotte’s entry into the race comes after New Hampshire incumbent Chris Sununu said on Wednesday he is not seeking re-election in 2024.
The popular Republican governor was first elected in 2016 and will retire after four terms.
“Were in!” Ayotte said in a tweet Monday. “I’m running for governor because I fear we’re one election away from becoming Massachusetts. Together we will ensure that we keep New Hampshire safe, prosperous and free.”
Ayotte previously served one term in the U.S. Senate before being impeached in the 2016 election by Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan, the state’s former governor.
Former New Hampshire Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte announced Monday that she was running for governor of the Granite State
Former Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, a Republican, made her gubernatorial bid official on Monday
A moderate, Ayotte had trouble navigating the party that now nominated former President Donald Trump to top the list.
She kept her nose shut and lukewarmly supported Trump’s first White House nomination, but withdrew her support after the infamous Access Hollywood tape was released just weeks before the 2016 presidential election.
She said she would now include former Vice President Mike Pence.
In addition to Ayotte, former Senate President Chuck Morse, another Republican, has announced a candidacy for the governor’s mansion.
Education commissioner Frank Edelblut also suggested running.
On the Democratic side, Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington have already announced their candidacy.
Sununu’s decision to retire came after he announced that he would not run for president.
“Public service should never be a career, and the time is right for another Republican to lead our great state,” Sununu said in a series of tweets on Wednesday. “This was not an easy decision because I really like being governor.”
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu announced Wednesday that he is not seeking re-election in 2024
Sununu looked like a bright spot for moderate Republicans as he flirted with jumping into the 2024 race.
He was ready to criticize Trump – at the annual Gridiron Dinner in Washington in 2022, he made a memorable joke that the ex-president was “f***ing crazy.”
In a June op-ed for The Washington PostSununu took himself out of the running for the White House, but still urged Republicans that it was important for Trump to go.
“We should not be complacent and candidates should not enter this race to promote a vanity campaign, sell books or audition to serve as Donald Trump’s vice president,” he wrote.
“Since 2017, the national Republican Party has lost the vote up and down, in red states and in blue states, and in House, Senate and presidency elections,” he continued. “It will happen again, unless we Republicans undergo a course correction.”
Sununu pointed out that most polls show the former president well ahead of the other GOP hopefuls, warning Sununu that if Trump is the nominee, “the Republicans will lose again.”
“Just like we did in 2018, 2020 and 2022,” Trump said. “There’s no question about this and I’m not ready to let this happen.”
Sununu pledged to do everything he could as governor of New Hampshire to influence the state’s Republican primary, the first in the country.
“I intend to endorse, campaign and support the candidate I believe is most likely to win in November 2024,” Sununu said.
New Hampshire’s new term does not begin until January 2025, after the presidential election.