Kelly Ayotte is a former member of the United States Senate, elected from the State of New Hampshire. A moderate Republican, Ayotte had, at least at one point previously, identified as an Independent.
In the Senate, she served on several committees. She chaired the Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support. As well as the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security. Ayotte has been out of political office as of late. But evidently is considering trying for a comeback, perhaps with a particular caveat about the circumstances.
May run for governor if Sununu does not
Kelly Ayotte is thinking about making a run for governor of New Hampshire, reports the Valley News. However, indicators are that she will not enter the race if incumbent Christopher Sununu opts to run for another term.
Sununu, also a moderate Republican, has high favorability in his state. As noted by RealClearPolitics, he's thought to be a potential candidate for president of the United States in 2024. But even if he does not launch a campaign for president, he may not run for re-election. Something that he has hinted he's been giving thought to. Many Republican officials had been trying to convince Sununu to run for the U.S. Senate in 2022. He would turn them down.
While neither Ayotte nor Sununu officially declared their intentions one way or another, they're not alone in that respect. No candidate has formally made an entrance into the race. But several are considered potential candidates in the Republican and Democratic primaries.
On the Republican side, names mentioned include Chuck Morse and Don Bolduc.
Morse is a former acting governor of New Hampshire and president and minority leader of the New Hampshire Senate. Bolduc had been a highly-decorated brigadier general in the United States Army. But has since gone on to be associated with the extreme right and promote debunked conspiracy theories. In 2022, he lost the state's U.S.
Senate race to Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan.
For the Democrats, Christopher Pappas, Annie Kuster, and Joyce Craig are among the possibilities in the discussion. Pappas and Kuster are both members of the United States House of Representatives. Craige is the mayor of Manchester.
Ayotte was also the New Hampshire attorney general
Kelly Ayotte is a native of Nashua in southern New Hampshire. After graduating from high school there, she attended Pennsylvania State University. Ayotte graduated from Penn State with a degree in political science. She later earned another degree from the Villanova University School of Law.
Ayotte served as a clerk for New Hampshire Supreme Court Justice Sherman Horton before practising law in Manchester.
Later, she joined the state attorney general's office. In 2003, she briefly served as counsel for Governor Craig Benson. After a few months, she was named deputy attorney general of New Hampshire. The following year, Benson appointed her as the attorney general. Democratic Governor John Lynch would also later appoint her to the office.
In 2010, Ayotte was elected to the U.S. Senate in a landslide over Democratic U.S. Representative Paul Hodes. But she would be narrowly defeated for re-election in 2016 by then-Governor Maggie Hassan.
Ayotte married U.S. Air Force pilot Joseph Daley in 2001. They have two children.
