2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

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2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election
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November 3, 2026
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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. The primary elections will take place on September 8, 2026. [1] 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.

Contents

Background

New Hampshire has voted Democratic in each presidential race starting in 2004. The state's congressional delegation has been entirely Democratic since 2017. Republicans hold a trifecta on the statewide level, with supermajorities in both chambers of the New Hampshire General Court. [2]

In 2024, Kelly Ayotte won the gubernatorial election by 9.34%. In January 2025, Cook Political Report predicted that Republicans would hold onto the governorship. [3]

Republican primary

Candidates

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

  • Jon Kiper, former Newmarket town councilor and candidate for governor in 2024 (previously ran as an independent) [5]

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

Independents

Withdrawn

General election

Predictions

SourceRankingAs of
The Cook Political Report [11] Likely RSeptember 11, 2025
Inside Elections [12] Solid RAugust 28, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball [13] Likely RSeptember 4, 2025
Race to the WH [14] Tilt RJanuary 25, 2025

Polling

Hypothetical polling

Kelly Ayotte vs. Jon Kiper

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Kelly
Ayotte (R)		Jon
Kiper (D)		OtherUndecided
University of New Hampshire [15] January 15–19, 20262,053 (LV)± 2.1%50%39%2% [b] 9%

Kelly Ayotte vs. Deaglan McEachern

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Kelly
Ayotte (R)		Deaglan
McEachern (D)		OtherUndecided
University of New Hampshire [15] January 15–19, 20262,053 (LV)± 2.1%49%41%0% [c] 10%

Kelly Ayotte vs. Generic Democrat

Poll sourceDate(s)
administered		Sample
size [a] 		Margin
of error		Kelly
Ayotte (R)		Generic
Democrat		Undecided
co/efficient (R) [16] October 9–13, 20251,034 (LV)± 3.1%43%40%17%

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear
  2. ↑ "Another candidate" with 2%
  3. ↑ "Another candidate" with 0%

References

  1. ↑ "2026 State Primary Election Dates". NCSL. May 9, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  2. ↑ Cullen, Margie (November 7, 2024). "NH keeps GOP in control of state while voting for Democrats in D.C. Experts explain why". Portsmouth Herald . Archived from the original on November 7, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ "New Hampshire Governor | 2026". Cook Political Report . January 23, 2025. Archived from the original on January 18, 2026. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Kashinsky, Lisa; Garrity, Kelly; Ward, Myah (October 2, 2025). "Lewandowski weighs bid against Gov. Ayotte amid White House pressure campaign". Politico . Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Sexton, Adam (September 2, 2025). "Kiper rejoins Democratic Party to continue campaign for New Hampshire governor". WMUR-TV . Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  6. ↑ Sexton, Adam (November 26, 2025). "Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern considers potential run for New Hampshire governor". WMUR . Retrieved November 26, 2025.
  7. ↑ Landrigan, Kevin (January 23, 2026). "State House Dome: Democrats eye candidate for governor with family ties". UnionLeader.com . Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  8. ↑ Landrigan, Kevin (November 8, 2025). "State House Dome: Bob Smith, who faced both GOP Senate candidates, goes with Scott Brown". New Hampshire Union Leader . Retrieved November 10, 2025. ...Democratic Party leaders are hoping to persuade two-term state Sen. Donovan Fenton, D-Keene, to run for governor in 2026.
  9. ↑ Landrigan, Kevin (November 14, 2025). "State House Dome: Warmington seriously exploring 2026 run for governor". New Hampshire Union Leader . Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  10. ↑ Colson, Nicole (September 12, 2025). "On WKBK, Volinsky Urges Tax Reform to Fix N.H. School Funding". My Keene Now. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  11. ↑ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections . Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  15. 1 2 McKinley, Sean P.; Smith, Andrew E.; Azem, Zachary S.; Keirns, Tracy (January 21, 2026). "Sununu, Pappas Frontrunners in 2026 NH Senate Race; Ayotte Favored for Re-election as Governor". UNH Scholars Repository. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  16. ↑ "New Hampshire Senate 2026 General Election". co/efficient. October 13, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
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