By NANCY WEST, InDepthN H.org
Former U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, who also previously served as New Hampshire Attorney General, announced Monday she is running for governor.
She is the second Republican to announce for governor.
On Wednesday, minutes after Gov. Chris Sununu said he wasn’t running for an unprecedented fifth term, Republican former state Senate president Chuck Morse announced he is running for governor. Morse unsuccessfully ran for Senate in the 2022 primary.
“I am running for Governor because I fear that we are one election away from turning into Massachusetts,” Ayotte said on Twitter. “Together, we will ensure that we keep New Hampshire safe, prosperous and free.
“I love New Hampshire. I was born here, raised here, raised my kids here, and I’m going to die here. What we have here is worth fighting for.
“We are proud to have the support of conservatives from across our state who are ready to continue the fight to keep New Hampshire safe, prosperous and free.”
On Twitter, Ayotte posted a long list of prominent Republican businessmen and politicians who support her.
They include: Former Gov. Craig Benson, Former U.S. Sen. and Ambassador Scott Brown of Rye, Keene Mayor George Hansel, Former Gov. and U.S. Senator Judd Gregg and former First Lady Kathy Gregg.
State Sen. Bill Gannon said: “I’m proud to support my friend Kelly Ayotte for Governor! Kelly is a proven conservative fighter, who will ensure our Live Free or Die way of life is protected and preserved. Granite State families will be well served by Kelly’s leadership.”
Ray Buckley, chairman of the New Hampshire Democratic party, said: “Ayotte was a loyal acolyte to Mitch McConnell always putting his agenda ahead of what was best for Granite Staters. She filibustered common sense gun reform in the wake of Sandy Hook. She led an unprecedented obstruction of judicial nominees. She opposed same sex marriage at a time when New Hampshire led the way toward the right side of history. When she lost her last election so many years ago after a single term in the senate, she abandoned the Granite State in favor of multiple high paying corporate boards, only to return once she filled her now flush bank account.”
Ayotte lost her re-election bid in 2016 to Maggie Hassan by about 1,000 votes.
Kayla Montgomery, Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, issued the following statement:
“Kelly Ayotte may try to paint herself as pro-woman, but her record tells a very different story. In her last campaign, Ayotte promised to overturn Roe v. Wade; now that the U.S. Supreme Court has decimated federal protections for abortion rights, her extreme anti-abortion agenda is even more dangerous.
“As N.H. Attorney General, Ayotte fought for an unconstitutional abortion restriction at the U.S. Supreme Court. As U.S. Senator, Ayotte voted to defund Planned Parenthood every chance she’s had and in 2011 she voted to eliminate the entire Title X Family Planning Program. In 2016, then-Senator Ayotte refused to consider Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, paving the way for Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump to steal a Supreme Court seat – the appointment which led to the overturning of Roe.”
Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig are both running for governor as Democrats.