2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.

2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

←  2024 November 3, 2026 2028 →

Party Republican Democratic

Incumbent Governor Kelly Ayotte Republican

The 2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. Incumbent Republican governor Kelly Ayotte is eligible to run for a second term but has not stated if she will do so. Along with neighboring Vermont, this will be one of two Republican-held governorships up for election in a state that Kamala Harris won in the 2024 presidential election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Potential

• Kelly Ayotte, incumbent governor (2025–present)

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

• Jon Kiper, former Newmarket town councilor, businessman, and Democratic candidate for governor in 2024 ^[1] (previously ran as an independent)

Publicly expressed interest

• Tom Sherman, former state senator from the 24th district (2018–2022) and nominee for governor in 2022 ^[2]

Potential

• Andru Volinsky, former New Hampshire Executive Councilor (2017 - 2021) and candidate for governor in 2020 ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Karen Liot Hill, New Hampshire Executive Councilor (2025 - present) and former mayor of Lebanon, New Hampshire ^{[ citation needed ]}
• Byron Champlin, mayor of Concord, New Hampshire (2024 - present)^{[ citation needed ]}
• Becky Whitley, former state senator from the 15th district (2020 - 2024)^{[ citation needed ]}

Independents

Withdrawn

• Jon Kiper, former Newmarket town councilor, businessman, and Democratic candidate for governor in 2024 ^[3] (Running as a Democrat)

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report [4]	Likely R	September 11, 2025
Inside Elections [5]	Solid R	August 28, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [6]	Likely R	September 4, 2025
Race to the WH [7]	Tilt R	September 11, 2025

See also

• 2026 United States gubernatorial elections

References

1. Sexton, Adam (September 2, 2025). "Kiper rejoins Democratic Party to continue campaign for New Hampshire governor". WMUR. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
2. Sexton, Adam (May 2, 2025). "Tom Sherman considering campaign for governor or 1st District in 2026". WMUR-TV . Retrieved May 2, 2025.
3. Sexton, Adam (June 13, 2025). "Kiper announces he's running for New Hampshire governor as independent". WMUR 9. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
4. "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
5. "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections . Retrieved February 7, 2025.
6. "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
7. "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved September 8, 2025.

External links

Official campaign websites

• Jon Kiper (D) for Governor