Kelly Ayotte
Republican · NH · Governor of New Hampshire
Kelly Ayotte has been New Hampshire's governor since January 2025. She was earlier a U.S. senator and the state's first female attorney general, and she focuses on public safety, including bail law changes, and school funding in a budget with no new taxes.
Where Kelly Ayotte stands, based on their records
Supports
Government Efficiency (1 record), Immigration (1 record), Public Safety and Crime Control (3 records),
Opposes
Reduce Wealth Gap (1 record), Anti-Corruption (1 record), Public Education Quality (2 records),
Mixed record
Healthcare Affordability (3 support · 1 oppose), Environment and Public Health (4 support · 2 oppose), Labor Rights (1 support · 2 oppose),
Track record
Track record — Healthcare Affordability
Healthcare Affordability · 3 support · 1 oppose
Signed HB 1705 into law. It set up a state fund so volunteer and small-town first responders can use the state's employee assistance program, including mental-health support, starting July 2027.
July 2, 2026Supports Healthcare Affordability
Source: gc.nh.gov
Voted for the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 34), which funded medical research and opioid addiction treatment. It passed 94-5.
December 7, 2016Supports Healthcare Affordability
Source: senate.gov
Voted for S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which funded opioid treatment and prevention programs. It passed 94-1.
March 10, 2016Supports Healthcare Affordability
Source: senate.gov
Voted for H.R. 3762, a bill that repealed major parts of the Affordable Care Act and cut off federal funds to Planned Parenthood for one year. It passed 52-47.
December 3, 2015Opposes Healthcare Affordability
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Environment and Public Health
Environment and Public Health · 4 support · 2 oppose
Vetoed a bipartisan paint recycling bill that charged paint makers a per-gallon fee, calling it a sales tax.
March 17, 2026Opposes Environment and Public Health
Source: nhpr.org
Vetoed seven Republican bills, including House Bill 324 to ease removing books from schools, House Bill 148 to separate bathrooms and locker rooms by biological sex, and House Bill 358 to ease school vaccine exemptions.
July 15, 2025Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: nhpr.org
Sponsored the First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act (S. 1915), which let emergency responders get anthrax vaccines from the national stockpile. It became law.
December 14, 2016Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: congress.gov
Voted for S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which funded opioid treatment and prevention programs. It passed 94-1.
March 10, 2016Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: senate.gov
Voted against S.J.Res. 24, which overturned the EPA's Clean Power Plan limits on carbon pollution from existing power plants. It passed 52-46.
November 17, 2015Supports Environment and Public Health
Source: senate.gov
Voted for S. 1, which approved building the Keystone XL oil pipeline. It passed 62-36.
January 29, 2015Opposes Environment and Public Health
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Reduce Wealth Gap
Reduce Wealth Gap · 1 oppose
Voted against taking up S. 2223, a bill to raise the federal minimum wage. The motion failed 54-42.
April 30, 2014Opposes Reduce Wealth Gap
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Labor Rights
Labor Rights · 1 support · 2 oppose
Voted against taking up S. 2223, a bill to raise the federal minimum wage. The motion failed 54-42.
April 30, 2014Opposes Labor Rights
Source: senate.gov
Voted against taking up the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 2199), a bill aimed at closing the pay gap between men and women. The motion failed 53-44.
April 9, 2014Opposes Labor Rights
Source: senate.gov
Voted for S. 815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which banned job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It passed 64-32.
November 7, 2013Supports Labor Rights
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Anti-Corruption
Anti-Corruption · 1 oppose
Signed Senate Bill 405, which raised the limit on anonymous campaign donations to $200 per donor per election cycle.
June 23, 2026Opposes Anti-Corruption
Source: nhpr.org
Track record — Government Efficiency
Government Efficiency · 1 support
As governor, signed her first executive order on her first day, creating a 15-member Commission on Government Efficiency to find ways to cut state spending.
January 9, 2025Supports Government Efficiency
Source: nhpr.org
Track record — Immigration
Immigration · 1 support
Voted for S. 744, a broad immigration bill that added border security and a path to citizenship for many immigrants here illegally. It passed 68-32.
June 27, 2013Supports Immigration
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Government Spending Reduction
Government Spending Reduction · 6 support · 6 oppose
Signed House Bill 1300, which put a question on the November ballot asking voters whether to cap local school spending growth at inflation.
July 15, 2026Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: nhpr.org
Vetoed the state's 10-year transportation plan because it raised tolls. Lawmakers later overrode the veto.
July 10, 2026Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: nhpr.org
Signed HB 1705 into law. It set up a state fund so volunteer and small-town first responders can use the state's employee assistance program, including mental-health support, starting July 2027.
July 2, 2026Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: gc.nh.gov
Signed a law limiting what the state must pay for public schools to basic instruction and aid for students with disabilities, lower incomes, or limited English. Local taxpayers cover the rest.
March 26, 2026Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: nhpr.org
Signed the two-year state budget (House Bills 1 and 2), along with bills funding a police and firefighter retirement fix and delaying cuts to Manchester schools.
June 27, 2025Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: indepthnh.org
Signed laws removing the income limit on Education Freedom Accounts, the state's voucher-like school choice program, and writing a Parental Bill of Rights into state law.
June 10, 2025Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: nhpr.org
As governor, signed her first executive order on her first day, creating a 15-member Commission on Government Efficiency to find ways to cut state spending.
January 9, 2025Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: nhpr.org
Voted for the 21st Century Cures Act (H.R. 34), which funded medical research and opioid addiction treatment. It passed 94-5.
December 7, 2016Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: senate.gov
Voted for S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act, which funded opioid treatment and prevention programs. It passed 94-1.
March 10, 2016Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: senate.gov
Voted against the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (H.J.Res. 59), which eased spending cuts and trimmed cost-of-living raises for working-age military retirees. It passed 64-36.
December 18, 2013Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: senate.gov
Voted for H.R. 2775, the deal that ended the 16-day government shutdown and raised the debt limit. It passed 81-18.
October 16, 2013Opposes Government Spending Reduction
Source: senate.gov
As a U.S. senator, voted to take up the House Republican budget plan written by Rep. Paul Ryan (H.Con.Res. 34). The motion failed 40-57.
May 25, 2011Supports Government Spending Reduction
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 3 support
Signed a bail overhaul that gave judges more power to hold defendants in jail before trial, reversing parts of a 2018 bipartisan law.
March 25, 2025Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: nhpr.org
Voted for S. 47, which renewed the Violence Against Women Act. It passed 78-22.
February 12, 2013Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: senate.gov
As attorney general, personally prosecuted Michael Addison for killing Manchester police officer Michael Briggs. A jury sentenced Addison to death, the state's first death sentence in nearly 50 years.
December 18, 2008Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: archive.boston.com
Track record — Housing Affordability
Housing Affordability · 1 support
Signed 10 bills that limited local zoning rules to encourage home building, including House Bill 577 allowing detached accessory dwelling units.
July 24, 2025Supports Housing Affordability
Source: nhpr.org
Track record — Social Programs and Welfare
Social Programs and Welfare · 1 support
Signed HB 1705 into law. It set up a state fund so volunteer and small-town first responders can use the state's employee assistance program, including mental-health support, starting July 2027.
July 2, 2026Supports Social Programs and Welfare
Source: gc.nh.gov
Track record — Public Education Quality
Public Education Quality · 2 oppose
Signed House Bill 1268, which let homeschooling families skip notifying the state and dropped required yearly evaluations.
July 10, 2026Opposes Public Education Quality
Source: nhpr.org
Signed a law limiting what the state must pay for public schools to basic instruction and aid for students with disabilities, lower incomes, or limited English. Local taxpayers cover the rest.
March 26, 2026Opposes Public Education Quality
Source: nhpr.org
Track record — Gun Control
Gun Control · 2 support · 3 oppose
Voted to advance Sen. Dianne Feinstein's amendment letting the attorney general block gun sales to known or suspected terrorists. The motion failed 47-53.
June 20, 2016Supports Gun Control
Source: senate.gov
Also on this bill
- April 17, 2013 · Voted against Sen. Dianne Feinstein's amendment to ban assault weapons. It failed 40-60. (Opposes Gun Control)
Voted against advancing Sen. Chris Murphy's plan to expand background checks to gun shows and online sales (H.R. 2578 motion). It failed 44-56.
June 20, 2016Opposes Gun Control
Source: senate.gov
Voted for Sen. Chuck Grassley's gun amendment (S.Amdt. 725), a Republican alternative that aimed to improve records in the national background check system. It failed 52-48 under a 60-vote rule.
April 17, 2013Supports Gun Control
Source: senate.gov
Voted against Sen. Dianne Feinstein's amendment to ban assault weapons. It failed 40-60.
April 17, 2013Opposes Gun Control
Source: senate.gov
Also on this bill
- June 20, 2016 · Voted to advance Sen. Dianne Feinstein's amendment letting the attorney general block gun sales to known or suspected terrorists. The motion failed 47-53. (Supports Gun Control)
As a U.S. Senator, Ayotte voted against the bipartisan Manchin-Toomey amendment to expand background checks on commercial gun sales in April 2013, a vote that drew sustained criticism in New Hampshire after the Sandy Hook shooting.
April 17, 2013Opposes Gun Control
Source: politifact.com
Track record — Women's Reproductive Rights
Women's Reproductive Rights · 2 support · 6 oppose
Vetoed nine bills, including House Bill 434 to ease removing books from schools, House Bill 232 on workers refusing to take part in abortions, and Senate Bill 627 raising tolls for drivers without a New Hampshire E-ZPass.
July 2, 2026Supports Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: nhpr.org
Voted for H.R. 3762, a bill that repealed major parts of the Affordable Care Act and cut off federal funds to Planned Parenthood for one year. It passed 52-47.
December 3, 2015Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: senate.gov
Voted to take up H.R. 36, a bill to ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The motion failed 54-42.
September 22, 2015Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: senate.gov
Voted to take up S. 1881, a bill to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood. The motion failed 53-46.
August 3, 2015Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: senate.gov
Introduced the Allowing Greater Access to Safe and Effective Contraception Act (S. 1438), a bill to encourage sales of birth control without a prescription. It did not advance.
May 21, 2015Supports Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: congress.gov
Voted against taking up S. 2578, a bill to stop employers from blocking workers' health coverage of birth control. The motion failed 56-43.
July 16, 2014Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: senate.gov
Voted against setting aside the Blunt amendment, which let employers and insurers refuse to cover birth control and other services on moral or religious grounds. The Senate set it aside 51-48.
March 1, 2012Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: senate.gov
As New Hampshire attorney general, defended the state's law requiring parents be notified before a minor's abortion at the U.S. Supreme Court (Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood). The Court sent the case back to lower courts rather than strike the whole law.
January 18, 2006Opposes Women's Reproductive Rights
Source: law.cornell.edu
Track record — Personal Income Tax Reduction
Personal Income Tax Reduction · 1 support
Voted for the American Taxpayer Relief Act (H.R. 8), the fiscal cliff deal that made most Bush-era tax cuts permanent. It passed 89-8.
January 1, 2013Supports Personal Income Tax Reduction
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Data Privacy
Data Privacy · 1 support
Voted for the USA FREEDOM Act (H.R. 2048), which ended the government's bulk collection of Americans' phone records. It passed 67-32.
June 2, 2015Supports Data Privacy
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 4 support · 2 oppose
Vetoed a bill letting businesses separate bathrooms and locker rooms by sex assigned at birth, her third veto of such a bill.
June 19, 2026Supports Civil Rights
Source: nhpr.org
Signed two laws banning puberty blockers, hormone treatments, and chest surgeries for transgender minors under 18.
August 1, 2025Opposes Civil Rights
Source: nhpr.org
Vetoed seven Republican bills, including House Bill 324 to ease removing books from schools, House Bill 148 to separate bathrooms and locker rooms by biological sex, and House Bill 358 to ease school vaccine exemptions.
July 15, 2025Supports Civil Rights
Source: nhpr.org
Voted against taking up the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 2199), a bill aimed at closing the pay gap between men and women. The motion failed 53-44.
April 9, 2014Opposes Civil Rights
Source: senate.gov
Voted for S. 815, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which banned job discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It passed 64-32.
November 7, 2013Supports Civil Rights
Source: senate.gov
Voted for S. 47, which renewed the Violence Against Women Act. It passed 78-22.
February 12, 2013Supports Civil Rights
Source: senate.gov
Track record — Corporate Accountability
Corporate Accountability · 1 oppose
Signed a law protecting gun makers such as Sig Sauer from certain product lawsuits over missing safety features. She signed it one day after its final vote.
May 28, 2025Opposes Corporate Accountability
Source: nhpr.org
Track record — Public Infrastructure
Public Infrastructure · 1 support
Voted for S. 1, which approved building the Keystone XL oil pipeline. It passed 62-36.
January 29, 2015Supports Public Infrastructure
Source: senate.gov
Track record — General
General · 15 records
Signed Senate Bill 430, which requires teachers to share information parents ask for about their child, with some exceptions.
July 7, 2026
Source: nhpr.org
Nominated Superior Court Judge Daniel Will to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.
January 27, 2026
Source: nhpr.org
Nominated Bryan Gould to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, her first pick for the court. The Executive Council confirmed him 4-1.
September 17, 2025
Source: nhbar.org
Signed Senate Bill 218, which requires absentee voters to submit documents proving citizenship, age, residence, and identity. She also signed a bill requiring accessible voting machines at local elections.
August 5, 2025
Source: nhpr.org
As Governor, Ayotte delivered her first budget address in February 2025, proposing a two-year state budget of about $16.5 billion that emphasized public safety, housing, and education.
February 13, 2025
Source: indepthnh.org
Guided Neil Gorsuch through his U.S. Supreme Court confirmation as his adviser, or sherpa, in the Senate. He was confirmed 54-45.
April 13, 2017
Source: news.harvard.edu
Withdrew her support for Donald Trump for president after a tape of him speaking crudely about women surfaced. She announced a write-in vote for Mike Pence instead.
October 8, 2016
Source: wbur.org
Voted for the final Every Student Succeeds Act (S. 1177), which replaced No Child Left Behind and gave states more control over schools. It passed 85-12.
December 9, 2015
Source: senate.gov
Voted to advance a resolution rejecting President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. The motion failed 58-42 under a 60-vote rule.
September 10, 2015
Source: senate.gov
Voted for H.R. 2146, which gave the president fast-track power to negotiate trade deals. It passed 60-38.
June 24, 2015
Source: senate.gov
Voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as U.S. attorney general. She was confirmed 56-43.
April 23, 2015
Source: senate.gov
Introduced the Detaining Terrorists to Protect America Act (S. 165), a bill to halt transfers of prisoners out of the Guantanamo Bay prison. It was placed on the Senate calendar but did not pass.
January 13, 2015
Source: congress.gov
Voted against the final 2014 farm bill (H.R. 2642). It passed 68-32.
February 4, 2014
Source: senate.gov
Voted against confirming Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense. He was confirmed 58-41.
February 26, 2013
Source: senate.gov
Voted against the Budget Control Act (S. 365), the deal that raised the federal debt limit and set spending caps. It passed 74-26.
August 2, 2011
Source: senate.gov