New Hampshire’s Maybe-Next GOP Governor Is a Mess

In 2016, then-U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte unendorsed Trump after the Access Hollywood tape leaked. And then she was voted out. In 2024, she’s re-endorsed him hoping to be NH’s next governor.

By Kylie Cheung  |  September 20, 2024 | 1:32pm
Photo: Getty Images Politics 2024 Election
New Hampshire’s Maybe-Next GOP Governor Is a Mess

We all remember where we were in 2016 when Donald Trump was elected president—all of us except maybe Kelly Ayotte, former U.S. Senator and, as of last week, current Republican nominee for governor of New Hampshire. 

Ayotte, who’s running in one of the tightest gubernatorial races against Democrat Joyce Craig, served one term in the Senate from 2011 to 2017, when she lost her seat shortly after un-endorsing Trump in October 2016. At the time, Ayotte took a stand for what was objectively right: She said she took issue with Trump’s comments in the unearthed Access Hollywood tape, likening his “grab ‘em by the pussy” line to sexual assault and declaring that she wanted her young daughter to “know where [she] stood.” Eight years and one New York jury finding Trump civilly liable for sexual abuse later, Ayotte has re-endorsed Trump in what’s either a cynical bid for political power or a troubling case of amnesia. 

Flip-flopping is the bread-and-butter of American politics, but Ayotte’s record—especially as she tries to assure New Hampshire voters she wouldn’t further restrict abortion as governor—is particularly egregious. In April, Ayotte shrugged off her 2016 appraisal of Trump as a sexual assailant and existential threat to women: “As you know, we had our differences in 2016, but I think as we look at where we are as a country right now, there’s no question he’s the right choice for the White House—and just the contrast between the two administrations, especially on this border issue,” she told reporters. Trump hasn’t really changed since 2016, though, except for the fact that more women have accused him of abuse and exploitation, a civil court found him liable for at least one such charge, and he attempted to steal the 2020 election. 

But even before April, Ayotte clearly and quickly reconciled with Trump after losing her seat in 2017. That year, she worked closely with him and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, serving as a personal liaison, or the official “sherpa,” for his then-Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch, who went on to overturn Roe v. Wade. As sherpa, Ayotte guided Gorsuch between meetings with different senators ahead of his confirmation—and also personally coached him on how to give non-answers on Roe.

Kelly Ayotte alongside Mitch McConnell, Neil Gorsuch, and Mike Pence in 2017.

All of that is especially relevant to Ayotte’s current predicament in New Hampshire, which is the last state in New England that hasn’t codified a right to abortion in the state Constitution. The legislature narrowly defeated a bill to do so back in February. In July and August, Ayotte released ads doubling and tripling down on trying to convince voters that she won’t further legislate abortion. And just like so many other GOP candidate across the country this cycle, Ayotte’s hasn’t commented on Project 2025. 

“We all know what they’re doing—politicizing abortion to win votes,” Ayotte narrates in the July ad. She’s referring to Democrats’ “attacks” pointing out her own record on the issue, which I’ll delve into shortly. Ayotte continues, “The truth: In New Hampshire, women have freedom to obtain abortion for any reason in the first six months of pregnancy. … I’m Kelly Ayotte. No matter what they say or how many times they say it, as governor, I fully support and will not change New Hampshire’s abortion law.” In the August ad, she says again: “The BS political attacks can take a hike, because here in New Hampshire, we’re moving in the right direction.”

A cursory review of Ayotte’s record on reproductive rights is pretty jarring, especially from someone who seems to be running as a moderate. In her one, single term in the U.S. Senate, Ayotte spearheaded legislation for a national abortion ban at 20 weeks. She backed two different policies—the Blunt amendment and the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act—to allow insurance companies and employers to deny coverage of birth control and IVF.

On top of all of this, where thorny endorsements are concerned, Trump is the tip of the iceberg. Earlier this year, the New Hampshire legislature made headlines over scandals involving two Republican state legislators: There’s state Rep. Jess Edwards, who railed against a bill to abolish child marriage because 16-year-olds are “ripe and fertile,” and inexplicably because child marriage would make abortion less “desirable.” And then there’s state Rep. Jon Stone, whose record as a former cop came under scrutiny in April when unearthed documents showed he was fired for his alleged sexual relationship with a minor and threatening to carry out a shooting spree at the police station. Stone’s voting record in the state House this session includes upholding several abortion restrictions, while his campaign social media accounts advocate for assault rifle ownership. 

Both men have endorsed and actively campaigned for Ayotte, and she’s yet to disavow their endorsements even when pressed about their records. 

We sent an email to Ayotte’s campaign inquiring about her relationships with Edwards and Stone; what she tells her daughter about her support for Trump; and why voters should trust that she wouldn’t further restrict abortion, given her record on the issue and her history of flip-flopping. We’ll update this if they respond.

All of this is… a dumpster fire. And it’s a perfect encapsulation of the current state of the Republican Party: spineless Trump cronies terrified to run on their own records—on abortion, on women’s rights, and on Trump himself.

 
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