Ayotte Files For Second Term, With Echoes Of 'Don't MASS Up NH' Message

By Leonard Robinson, NH Journal

If it ain’t broke…

Governor Kelly Ayotte filed for re-election Thursday with not-too-subtle nods to the “Don’t MASS up New Hampshire” message that helped her win the corner office two years ago.

“I know that we’re still only one election away from becoming Massachusetts,” Ayotte told supporters and the press at the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office.

“I’m running for re-election because I love this state, and there is so much more work to be done to make sure that New Hampshire remains the beacon of freedom, hope, and opportunity for families, for small businesses.”

And she added, “Cindy Warmington cannot be our governor, or we will go the way of Massachusetts. She cannot represent us.”

Warmington is the almost certain Democratic nominee for governor.

Ayotte was accompanied by her husband, Joe, as she touted her achievements, passing bail reform, restoring benefits for first responders, cancer screenings for firefighters, expanding eligibility for Education Freedom Accounts and banning cell phones in schools.”

“We’ve not only protected the New Hampshire Advantage, we’ve strengthened the New Hampshire Advantage,” Ayotte said.

Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Secretary of State Dave Scanlan(Andrew Dow)

If re-elected, Ayotte said her second-term ambitions include creating more housing, a top concern of voters according to polling. Her plans include reducing the burden of regulation, promoting more public-private partnerships and exploring the use of state-owned land for additional housing

“There’s much more to build on and work on,” Ayotte said.

Just a few hours after Ayotte made it official, Warmington filed her candidacy paperwork.

“It’s no mystery why Kelly Ayotte has the worst approval ratings of first-term New Hampshire governors in over 30 years: she’s made life more expensive for working families at every turn, has been too gutless to stand up to Donald Trump’s chaos, and consistently puts corporate special interests ahead of the people she is supposed to serve,” said Warmington Campaign Manager Andrea Cervone.

In an exclusive podcast interview to be released this weekend, Ayotte told NHJournal that taxes are a major difference between the two candidates.

“If you want higher taxes, then you should vote for Cindy Warmington. If you want to protect the New Hampshire Advantage — no income tax, no sales tax, no investment taxes, no new taxes — that’s what I stand for,” Ayotte said. “She’s a taxer and spender.”

But when Democrats like Andru Volinsky proposed a plan to create an income tax, Warmington rejected it. And she’s repeatedly said she will not support a broad-based income or sales tax as governor.

“You can’t trust her, are you kidding me?” Ayotte said. “She’s already said she’s for an income tax. She wanted to reinstate the investment tax (interest and dividends) in the last campaign.”

“Cinde Warmington cannot be our governor. She would take us in a direction of higher taxes, less freedom and less opportunity,” Ayotte added.

Several members of the legislature, including Senate President Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry), were on hand for Ayotte’s filing. Ayotte has had some very public disagreements with state house Republicans this session, but as the legislation session gives way to campaign season, the message is unity.

“I want a Republican majority, and I think that’s important for the state,” Ayotte told NHJournal. “I’ll obviously work with anyone I need to on behalf of the people of New Hampshire, but I think that the state is better off and stronger with a Republican majority.”

GOP comms pro Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos is a veteran of New Hampshire gubernatorial campaigns, and she believes Ayotte “is in a good position.”

“While it may be tough for Republicans in November, Ayotte has done a good job and I don’t see a successful argument as to why she should be fired.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.