GOP Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Cinde Warmington to face off for New Hampshire governorship

New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, will face off against Democrat Cinde Warmington in November’s general election, NBC News projects, as she seeks another two-year term.

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Ayotte did not face any major challenges in the GOP primary; Warmington ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.

New Hampshire is one of two states — Vermont is the other — where Republican governors are up for re-election after then-Vice President Kamala Harris won the state in 2024.

Ayotte, a former state attorney general and U.S. senator, was out of politics for several years between her loss for re-election in 2016 and her successful campaign for governor in 2024.

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Warmington served on New Hampshire’s Executive Council, which helps oversee the state budget, from 2021 to 2025. She ran for governor in 2024 and lost in the primary. She has also worked as a healthcare attorney and in healthcare management.

Warmington is, like many Democrats, focusing her campaign on affordability, while Ayotte is touting accomplishments of her first two years in office.

Ayotte is leading in the early polls and has raised more money, and The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, a nonpartisan election analysis website, rates the race as “leans Republican.”

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