Kelly Ayotte celebrated her victory in the Republican primary for governor at the Bonfire Country Bar in Manchester on Tuesday, September 10.
A recent poll from the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College indicates that voters are still open to splitting their tickets in the upcoming November election. According to the poll released Thursday evening, Vice President Kamala Harris leads former President Donald Trump by seven percentage points, 51% to 44%. This marks a slight decline from her previous eight-point lead in September. In the race for governor, Republican Kelly Ayotte from Nashua holds a narrow lead over Democrat Joyce Craig from Manchester, with Ayotte at 47% and Craig at 44%.
The poll also revealed positive news for Ayotte, as her favorability ratings have increased since September while Craig’s ratings have declined. Neil Levesque, the executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics, noted that Ayotte is gaining traction among voters and is nearing a majority in the governor’s race.
Although Democrats have prioritized reproductive health in their campaign, respondents identified three other pressing issues: the economy/inflation, border security, and elections/democracy. Abortion has not appeared among the top three concerns since July.
When asked to choose candidates based on key issues, voters prioritizing border security, the economy, and government spending favored Ayotte. In contrast, those who considered abortion, affordable housing, elections/democracy, health care, and gun regulations as important issues tended to support Craig.
The poll also showed that Democratic candidates running for Congress maintain solid leads. Congressman Chris Pappas is ahead of Republican Russell Prescott in the 1st Congressional District by nine points, 50% to 41%. In the 2nd Congressional District, Democrat Maggie Goodlander leads Republican Lily Tang Williams by 12 percentage points, polling at 50% to 38%.