Ayotte beats Morse to claim Republican nomination for governor

Kelly Ayotte files as a candidate for governor at the Secretary of State's Office in Concord on June 13, 2024. (Claire Sullivan | New Hampshire Bulletin)

Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte is the Republican nominee for governor of New Hampshire after defeating former state Senate President Chuck Morse in Tuesday’s primaries.

Ayotte, who served in the Senate from 2011 to 2017 and as attorney general from 2004 to 2009, is seeking to follow Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, who did not seek reelection.

The Associated Press called Ayotte the winner at 8 p.m., with 16 percent of the vote counted . At press time she had won 69 percent of the vote; Morse trailed behind with 28 percent.

With an endorsement from Sununu and a clear fundraising advantage over Morse, Ayotte had been seen as a front-runner in the primary. She ran a buoyant campaign that at times appeared to follow Sununu’s optimistic political brand, and at other times issued dire warnings that Democrats would pursue liberal policies that would turn New Hampshire into Massachusetts.