Kelly Ayotte
Governor, NH · Republican · New Hampshire
Kelly Ayotte is the Republican Governor of New Hampshire, a former U.S. Senator and state Attorney General seeking reelection in 2026.
Profile last updated Jul 8, 2026 · Center Field Politics
Scout's Report
A center-right former senator governing a Republican-controlled legislature on taxes, housing, and public safety.
Core Strength
Executive and law-enforcement experience; a no-income-tax, tough-on-crime agenda.
Core Weakness
Has clashed with her own party’s legislators on firearms and school-policy bills.
Recent Action
Filed for reelection and helped sink two GOP priority bills at the end of the session.
Key Metrics
- Reliability
- 95%
- Documented Controversies
- 0
- Funding Secured
- $150M
- Outside Influence
- Moderate
Roll-call or session participation — did they show up?
Official ethics findings or court records only.
State budget priorities advanced as Governor (absolute, term-to-date).
Derived from PAC and outside-spending share of campaign funding.
Where They Stand
Stances on the issues many voters care most about. Where a candidate has not given a clear answer we mark it "Mixed / Partial" or "Unclear" rather than guess. Positions are drawn from official records and bias-labeled news sources; they are descriptive only and are never scored.
Environment—Mixed / Partial3
Climate protections and regulation versus fewer climate-related regulations on industry.
Supports some conservation and energy diversification but opposes aggressive mandates.
Healthcare—Opposes3
Expanding healthcare coverage for all versus expanding market-based, private insurance.
Opposes single-payer; favors market-based coverage and cost control.
Second Amendment—Mixed / Partial3
New firearm regulations versus no new firearm regulations.
Backs some safety measures but has broken with her party on select firearms bills.
Immigration—Opposes3
Pathways to citizenship versus a closed-border approach.
Supports stronger border enforcement and opposes sanctuary policies.
Roe v. Wade—Mixed / Partial3
Protecting access to abortion versus restricting access to abortion.
Supports New Hampshire’s current-law limits while stating she would not pursue a further ban.
National Security—Unclear3
Whether diplomacy or military strength should be the primary national-security priority.
As a state governor she has no significant recent public record on U.S. military action against Iran.
Campaign Funding
The Governor files with the New Hampshire Secretary of State, not the FEC. Raised roughly $6M for a 2026 reelection bid; New Hampshire does not publish a consolidated independent-expenditure total, so outside spending is shown as not disclosed. Raised $6.0M for the 2026 cycle (Jun 2026 filing (gubernatorial reelection)), filed with New Hampshire Secretary of State — Campaign Finance.
Total raised (cycle 2026): $6,000,000 · Outside influence: Moderate
Estimated Net Worth
Most recent estimate: $2M-$8M
Year-over-year change cannot be computed until additional disclosure years are added to this profile.
Party Loyalty
Party-line alignment on major recorded votes.