103 Facts About Kelly Ayotte

Kelly Ann Ayotte is an American attorney and politician serving since 2025 as the 83rd governor of New Hampshire.

Kelly Ayotte worked as a law clerk at the New Hampshire Supreme Court before entering private practice.

Kelly Ayotte served as a prosecutor for the New Hampshire Department of Justice and briefly as the legal counsel to Governor Craig Benson before returning to the New Hampshire Department of Justice to serve as deputy attorney general.

Kelly Ayotte became the first and only woman to serve as New Hampshire's attorney general.

Kelly Ayotte resigned as attorney general in 2009 to run for the US Senate after Senator Judd Gregg announced his retirement.

In September 2010, Ayotte narrowly defeated lawyer Ovide M Lamontagne in the Republican primary for the US Senate.

Kelly Ayotte was mentioned as a possible running mate for Republican nominee Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election.

Kelly Ayotte was elected governor of New Hampshire in 2024, defeating Democratic nominee Joyce Craig.

Kelly Ayotte is the third woman to be elected the state's governor, after Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, and took office on January 9,2025.

Kelly Ann Ayotte was born in Nashua, New Hampshire, on June 27,1968, the daughter of Kathleen M and Marc Frederick Ayotte.

In 1993, Kelly Ayotte received a JD from Villanova University School of Law, where she had served as editor of the Environmental Law Journal.

In 1998, Kelly Ayotte joined the office of the New Hampshire attorney general as a prosecutor.

In 2003, Kelly Ayotte became legal counsel to Governor Craig Benson.

Kelly Ayotte had both her children while serving as the first and only female New Hampshire attorney general.

Kelly Ayotte joined eight other states' attorneys general to sue federal regulators over a rules change that made clean air emissions standards for power plants less strict and eliminated clean air reporting and monitoring requirements.

In 2004, Kelly Ayotte appealed the First Circuit's ruling to the Supreme Court, over the objection of incoming Governor John Lynch.

Kelly Ayotte personally argued the case before the Supreme Court.

Kelly Ayotte was accompanied by Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Stuart Bowen.

Kelly Ayotte resigned as attorney general on July 7,2009, to explore a run for US Senate in 2010.

Kelly Ayotte had never run for office, but narrowly won the primary election on September 14,2010.

Kelly Ayotte was endorsed by John McCain, Sarah Palin, John Thune, Tom Coburn, Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Haley Barbour, and Rick Santorum.

In 2016, Kelly Ayotte ran for reelection to the US Senate against Maggie Hassan, New Hampshire's sitting governor.

In February 2016, the Koch Brothers-linked conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity announced that Kelly Ayotte was the lone vulnerable Republican US senator the group would not support in 2016, due to her support for the Clean Power Plan to combat climate change.

On May 4,2016, an Kelly Ayotte spokeswoman said Kelly Ayotte "intends to support the Republican nominee" for US president but did not plan to make an endorsement.

Kelly Ayotte was endorsed by the New Hampshire Troopers' Association, the New England Narcotics Enforcement Officers' Association, and the Manchester Police Patrolmen's Association.

Kelly Ayotte was endorsed by the New Hampshire Union Leader, the Nashua Telegraph, the Caledonian-Record, and the Portsmouth Herald.

Kelly Ayotte helped include provisions in the Every Student Succeeds Act to boost STEM education, particularly among girls and underrepresented minorities, and to support career and technical education in schools.

Kelly Ayotte strongly opposed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's proposal to pass significant at-sea monitoring costs to New Hampshire's fishermen and brought NOAA officials to New Hampshire to hear from fishermen.

Kelly Ayotte served on the Senate Armed Services and Homeland Security Committees and was widely regarded as a leader on national security and foreign policy.

Kelly Ayotte led legislative efforts to keep suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay rather than closing it and transferring them to US soil.

Kelly Ayotte was an outspoken critic of the Iran nuclear deal, saying that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world.

Kelly Ayotte was critical of the Obama administration's response to ISIS and called for increased airstrikes against ISIS.

Kelly Ayotte was one of four senators, two Republicans and two Democrats, who introduced the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, federal legislation to support local solutions and implement a comprehensive federal strategy to tackle the heroin and prescription opioid abuse epidemic.

Kelly Ayotte cosponsored bills to improve care for infants born addicted or in withdrawal and help expectant and new mothers struggling with addiction get treatment.

Kelly Ayotte backed successful efforts to better look after kids in schools who are struggling with addiction issues at home and to stop the flow of drugs across the southern border.

Kelly Ayotte was a vocal proponent of reauthorizing the Perkins Loan program, as she argued roughly 5,000 New Hampshire students relied on it.

Kelly Ayotte routinely included provisions in annual defense authorization bills that supported the work being done at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and Pease Air National Guard Base, and by the New Hampshire National Guard.

Kelly Ayotte strongly opposed further rounds of the base realignment and closing commission.

Kelly Ayotte included provisions in the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014 to allow New Hampshire veterans to receive medical care closer to home.

Kelly Ayotte was the only member of the New Hampshire delegation to vote against a budget proposal the singled out veterans' benefits for cuts.

Kelly Ayotte offered and cosponsored legislation to give veterans access to cutting-edge prosthetics, strengthen mental health services for veterans and their families, and improve the support system for military families.

Kelly Ayotte supported tax reform to simplify the tax code and lower rates.

Kelly Ayotte said she believed it would help bring back trillions of dollars parked overseas.

In December 2015, Kelly Ayotte voted to suspend the Medical Device Tax, which she said threatened nearly 3,500 manufacturing jobs in New Hampshire.

Kelly Ayotte was a leading opponent of the Internet sales tax.

Kelly Ayotte supported a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and helped pass the Senate's first balanced budget in 14 years.

Kelly Ayotte offered a variety of legislation to eliminate wasteful spending and duplicate or unnecessary programs.

Kelly Ayotte offered the Gender Advancement in Pay Act to implement New Hampshire's equal pay law at the federal level.

Kelly Ayotte offered and cosponsored legislation to make it easier for employers to offer flex-time to working parents and to expand access to affordable childcare.

Kelly Ayotte was named to several corporate boards of directors, including those of Caterpillar Inc.

Kelly Ayotte called herself a "strong conservative" while adding she would continue Sununu's legacy.

Kelly Ayotte initially backed Donald Trump's 2016 presidential bid before rescinding her endorsement before the election.

Kelly Ayotte voted for the comprehensive immigration reform bill brought forward by the bipartisan Gang of Eight, calling it a "a thoughtful, bipartisan solution to a tough problem".

Kelly Ayotte has been a vocal critic of the practice of sanctuary cities and voted to withhold federal funding from municipalities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

Kelly Ayotte said in a debate that she supports a task force to patrol the US-Canada border.

Kelly Ayotte opposes increasing the minimum wage, and opposes federal legislation to index the minimum wage to inflation to reflect adjustments in the cost of living.

Kelly Ayotte said she supports the current federal minimum wage but that "each state should decide what is best" when it comes to raising it.

In 2010, Kelly Ayotte said she was open to raising the Social Security retirement age for younger workers in an effort to avoid long-term insolvency, but does not support changes for people at or near retirement.

Kelly Ayotte said that one of her reasons for voting against ending debate on the bill was that Majority Leader Harry Reid had refused to allow votes on any of the amendments that Republicans had suggested for the bill.

Kelly Ayotte offered her own equal pay bill, the Gender Advancement in Pay Act, which would implement New Hampshire's equal pay law at the federal level, but was "a little stronger in its anti-retaliation provision because it explicitly addresses written policies".

In March 2015, Kelly Ayotte voted for an amendment to establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to allow employees to earn paid sick time.

Kelly Ayotte offered a bill to give private-sector employers the statutory authority to offer optional flex-time.

Kelly Ayotte advocated for such an amendment as a member of the Senate Budget Committee.

Kelly Ayotte called for federal budget cuts to reduce the federal debt and deficits, proposing in 2010 that every government department cut its budget by 20 percent from current levels, though "some may cut more, some may cut less".

Kelly Ayotte favored the permanent repeal of the estate tax and has co-sponsored legislation to repeal the tax.

Kelly Ayotte pushed to end congressional earmarks and cosponsored legislation to ban the practice.

Kelly Ayotte said that the legislation failed to directly address problems with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and imposed additional regulatory burdens on community banks.

In 2012, Kelly Ayotte voted with four other Republican senators to defeat a proposal to block the Environmental Protection Agency from promulgating the first federal standards regulating air pollution from power plants.

Kelly Ayotte was one of two Republican senators to vote against a Republican measure introduced by Roy Blunt that sought to block President Obama from negotiating an international agreement on climate change.

Kelly Ayotte voted to fast-track approval for the Keystone XL pipeline project.

In October 2015, Kelly Ayotte became the first congressional Republican to endorse a measure by President Obama dubbed the Clean Power Plan, which would seek a 32 percent cut in the power sector's carbon emissions.

Kelly Ayotte favored repealing the Affordable Care Act and repeatedly voted to repeal it.

Kelly Ayotte called the ACA a "success tax" on successful businesses and said it drove up the costs of healthcare.

Kelly Ayotte supported state-administered healthcare programs such as SCHIP and federal tax credits that serve to reduce the number of uninsured.

Kelly Ayotte received the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Congressional Award in recognition of her support for increasing mental health resources.

Kelly Ayotte advocated passage of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which was intended to address opioid abuse.

The bill would increase funding for treatment of addiction and allow nurses and physician assistants to treat substance use disorder with medication, which Kelly Ayotte said would increase the treatment options available.

Kelly Ayotte joined all Senate Republicans in refusing to hold a hearing on the nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.

In 2024, Kelly Ayotte said she supported current New Hampshire abortion law, which permits abortion on request until 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Kelly Ayotte said she would veto any legislation to restrict abortion during the first 24 weeks.

Kelly Ayotte said she supported access to in-vitro fertilization treatment.

Kelly Ayotte voted to shift federal funding from Planned Parenthood to other community health centers that serve low- and middle-income women and families, but opposed an attempt to shut down the federal government over the issue.

Kelly Ayotte opposes same-sex marriage as well as adoption by same-sex couples.

Kelly Ayotte voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act in 2012.

In 2013, Kelly Ayotte opposed legislation offered by Joe Manchin and Pat Toomey to mandate background checks for all commercial gun sales.

In June 2016, Kelly Ayotte voted against an amendment offered by Chris Murphy that would have required background checks for gun sales at gun shows, over the internet, and between friends and family.

Kelly Ayotte voted for an amendment to increase funding for the background check system and enhance the definition of "mental competency" for purchasing firearms.

Kelly Ayotte voted for two amendments to block or delay the sale of firearms to known or suspected terrorists.

Kelly Ayotte was part of a bipartisan group of eight senators who supported compromise legislation to close the "No Fly, No Buy" loophole and ensure people on the No Fly list could not purchase firearms.

Kelly Ayotte chaired the Senate Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee and was a leading voice in the hawkish wing of the Senate Republican Conference.

Kelly Ayotte opposed the Iran nuclear deal and called for strict new sanctions on Iran.

Kelly Ayotte backed new sanctions on North Korea in the wake of purported nuclear tests and called for a tougher stance on Russia.

In October 2011, Kelly Ayotte cosponsored a bill with John McCain to control costs associated with major defense acquisition programs.

Kelly Ayotte opposed the Defense Department's wish to retire the US's fleet of Cold War-era A-10 Thunderbolt II jets and redirect those funds elsewhere, arguing that there was no adequate replacement for the plane and citing her husband's experiences flying the A-10 while in the Air Force.

Kelly Ayotte criticized President Obama for withdrawing US troops from Iraq in 2011.

In July 2016, Kelly Ayotte released a comprehensive plan to defeat ISIS, including a "more aggressive" campaign of US airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

Kelly Ayotte fought attempts by the Obama administration to try terrorism suspects in civilian federal courts.

Kelly Ayotte opposed the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp and introduced a bill in the Senate that would block its closure and ban any transfer of detainees to the United States.

Kelly Ayotte criticized the August 2015 transfer of 15 prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to the United Arab Emirates, saying she believed the released prisoners had dangerous ties to terrorism and would resume terrorist activity.

Kelly Ayotte said that the Pentagon told her in 2015 that 93 percent of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay were considered "high risk" for returning to terrorist activities.

Kelly Ayotte authored and released an unclassified report that summarized information about the 107 original detainees at Guantanamo Bay, including the detainees' affiliations and terrorist activities before their detention.

Kelly Ayotte pushed for the Pentagon to publicly disclose more details about the detainees; the Pentagon currently releases only detainees' names and countries where they are transferred.

In 2001, Kelly Ayotte married Joseph Daley, an Iraq War veteran and former A-10 pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq.