2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election

For related races, see 2026 United States gubernatorial elections.

2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election
November 3, 2026
 
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.

Background

New Hampshire has voted Democratic in each presidential race starting in 2004. The state's congressional delegation has been entirely Democratic since 2017. Conversely, Republicans hold a trifecta on the statewide level, with a supermajority in the New Hampshire Senate.[2]

In 2024, Kelly Ayotte won the gubernatorial election by 9.34%.[3]

Republican primary

Candidates

Publicly expressed interest

Potential

Declined

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

Declined

Independents

Withdrawn

  • Jon Kiper, former Newmarket town councilor and Democratic candidate for governor in 2024 (running as a Democrat)[5]

General election

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[12] Likely R September 11, 2025
Inside Elections[13] Solid R August 28, 2025
Sabato's Crystal Ball[14] Likely R September 4, 2025
Race to the WH[15] Tilt R January 25, 2026

Polling

Kelly Ayotte vs. Jon Kiper

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Kelly
Ayotte (R) 		Jon
Kiper (D) 		Other Undecided
yes. every kid.[16] January 28–29, 2026 563 (LV) ± 4.1% 47% 37% – 16%
University of New Hampshire[17] January 15–19, 2026 2,053 (LV) ± 2.1% 50% 39% 2%[b] 9%
Hypothetical polling

Kelly Ayotte vs. Deaglan McEachern

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Kelly
Ayotte (R) 		Deaglan
McEachern (D) 		Other Undecided
University of New Hampshire[17] January 15–19, 2026 2,053 (LV) ± 2.1% 49% 41% 0%[c] 10%

Kelly Ayotte vs. Generic Democrat

Poll source Date(s)
administered 		Sample
size[a] 		Margin
of error 		Kelly
Ayotte (R) 		Generic
Democrat 		Undecided
co/efficient (R)[18] October 9–13, 2025 1,034 (LV) ± 3.1% 43% 40% 17%

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c 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. Retrieved January 17, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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 (February 18, 2026). "News 9 Exclusive: Democrat Cinde Warmington running for New Hampshire governor". WMUR-TV. Retrieved February 18, 2026.
  7. ^ Nir, David; Singer, Jeff (March 2, 2026). "Morning Digest: Missouri candidates start filing for a district that may not exist". The Downballot. Retrieved March 2, 2026.
  8. ^ Sexton, Adam (February 26, 2026). "Portsmouth Mayor Deaglan McEachern decides against running for NH governor". WMUR. Retrieved February 27, 2026.
  9. ^ Colson, Nicole (September 12, 2025). "On WKBK, Volinsky Urges Tax Reform to Fix N.H. School Funding". My Keene Now. Retrieved September 20, 2025.
  10. ^ Landrigan, Kevin (January 23, 2026). "State House Dome: Democrats eye candidate for governor with family ties". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  11. ^ Porter, Steven [@reporterporter] (February 4, 2026). "Can confirm: Julia Williams tells me she's unable to run for office at this time bc she needs add'l hip surgery in the coming months. Also: Williams said the reporting on her apparent out-of-state residence within the past 7 years had "absolutely no impact" on her decision" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  12. ^ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
  13. ^ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  14. ^ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  15. ^ "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  16. ^ "New Hampsh⁠i⁠re vo⁠t⁠ers suppor⁠t⁠ expanded publ⁠i⁠c school access". yes. every kid. February 13, 2026. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  17. ^ a b 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.
  18. ^ "New Hampshire Senate 2026 General Election". co/efficient. October 13, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
Official campaign websites
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