2026 New Hampshire gubernatorial election
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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 running for re-election to a second term in office.
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November 3, 2026
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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
Declared
Declined
- Dan Innis, state senator (2016–2018, 2022–present), candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district in 2014, and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2026 (running for re-election)[7]
Endorsements
Democratic primary
Candidates
Presumptive nominee
- Cinde Warmington, former New Hampshire Executive Councilor (2021–2025) and candidate for governor in 2024[10]
Withdrawn
- Jon Kiper, former Newmarket town councilor and 2024 gubernatorial candidate (running as an independent)[11]
Declined
- Carleigh Beriont, Hampton selectwoman (Running for Congress)[12]
- Donovan Fenton, state senator from the 10th district (2022–present)[13]
- Deaglan McEachern, mayor of Portsmouth (2022–present)[14]
- Andru Volinsky, former New Hampshire Executive Councilor (2017–2021) and candidate for governor in 2020[15]
- Julia Williams, healthcare executive and daughter of former governor John Lynch[16][17]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Jon Kiper |
Cinde Warmington |
Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiper switches to run as an Independent[11] | |||||||
| Saint Anselm College[18] | March 16–18, 2026 | 691 (RV) | ± 3.7% | 13% | 40% | 47% | |
Third parties and independent candidates
Candidates
Declared
- Jon Kiper (Independent), former Newmarket town councilor and 2024 Democratic gubernatorial candidate[11][b]
- Stephen Villee (Libertarian), software developer and 2024 gubernatorial candidate[19]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Inside Elections[20] | Solid R | August 28, 2025 |
| Race to the WH[21] | Lean R | June 4, 2026 |
| RealClearPolitics[22] | Lean R | June 5, 2026 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[23] | Likely R | September 4, 2025 |
| The Cook Political Report[24] | Likely R | May 21, 2026 |
Polling
Kelly Ayotte vs. Cinde Warmington
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Kelly Ayotte (R) |
Cinde Warmington (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of New Hampshire[25] | April 17–21, 2025 | 1,117 (LV) | ± 2.9% | 47% | 39% | 4%[c] | 10% |
| Saint Anselm College[18] | March 16–18, 2026 | 1,491 (RV) | ± 2.5% | 46% | 39% | – | 15% |
Kelly Ayotte vs. Jon Kiper
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Kelly Ayotte (R) |
Jon Kiper (D) |
Other | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiper switches to run as an Independent[11] | |||||||
| Saint Anselm College[18] | March 16–18, 2026 | 1,491 (RV) | ± 2.5% | 45% | 31% | – | 24% |
| yes. every kid. (D)[26] | January 28–29, 2026 | 563 (LV) | ± 4.1% | 47% | 37% | – | 16% |
| University of New Hampshire[27] | January 15–19, 2026 | 2,053 (LV) | ± 2.1% | 50% | 39% | 2%[d] | 9% |
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[27] | January 15–19, 2026 | 2,053 (LV) | ± 2.1% | 49% | 41% | 0%[e] | 10% |
Kelly Ayotte vs. Generic Democrat
See also
Notes
- Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear - Kiper initially announced his candidacy as an independent, but later chose to enter the Democratic primary. In April 2026, he reversed the decision and announced he would continue to run as an independent.
- "Another candidate" with 4%
- "Another candidate" with 2%
- "Another candidate" with 0%