Republicans will retain the governor’s office in the swing state of New Hampshire in what became this year’s most contentious gubernatorial election, a showdown that drew tons of national attention and outside money.

The Fox News Decision Desk predicts that former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican candidate, will defeat Democratic candidate and former Mayor Joyce Craig of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city.

Ayotte will succeed popular Republican Governor Chris Sununu, who decided not to run for re-election after winning and serving four consecutive two-year terms as governor. (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only states in the US that elect a governor every two years.)

“Thanks, New Hampshire! Ready to hit the ground running to keep our great state safe, prosperous and free. Let’s get started!,” Ayotte wrote in a social media post after her race was called.

Ayotte, a former attorney general who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 before narrowly losing reelection six years later, easily defeated a crowded field of rivals in early September to clinch the Republican nomination, while Craig defeated Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington defeated. to win the Democratic nomination.

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Former Senator Kelly Ayotte, a Republican candidate for governor, is surrounded by supporters as she files her candidacy at the Secretary of State’s office on June 13, 2024 in Concord, NH (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

While New Hampshire traditionally hosts the nation’s first presidential primary, the state’s primary is one of the last on the election calendar, setting up a frenzy for the general election.

National Democrats have spent heavily on the race, raising millions to target Ayotte for her Senate votes on abortion a decade ago, and for her support this year for former President Trump, whom she disavowed in her election defeat of 2016.

Ayotte and her Republican allies also have come down heavily on Craig over crime and homelessness during her tenure at the helm of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city.

And pointing to neighboring Massachusetts, where Democrats control the state government and dominate the congressional delegation, Ayotte made her slogan “Don’t Mass UP NH” the rallying cry of her campaign.

Former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in New Hampshire, speaks to voters in Concord, NH, October 6. (Joyce Craig’s gubernatorial campaign)

Ayotte was a rising star in the Republican Party in 2016 with a rising profile in national security.

But just before the 2016 election, she withdrew her support of Trump due to the “Access Hollywood” controversy, in which Trump made extremely crude comments about grabbing women without their consent in a years-old video.

“I cannot and will not support a presidential candidate who brags about humiliating and abusing women,” Ayotte said at the time.

Ayotte lost reelection by a razor-thin margin of just over 1,000 votes at the hands of then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.

But Ayotte performed slightly better than Trump in New Hampshire, when Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton trailed the winner of the White House by fewer than 3,000 votes.

Before retiring full-time to New Hampshire, Ayotte briefly stuck around Washington after her term ended, where she met then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (Trump’s first Supreme Court nominee) through his successful confirmation process in the Senate guided.

In her post-Senate career, Ayotte enjoyed a lucrative period serving on boards of directors and in advisory roles at both public and private companies. Among them was News Corp., once the parent company of Fox News.

Former Senator Kelly Ayotte, the Republican gubernatorial candidate in New Hampshire, speaks to voters at the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival. (Kelly Ayotte campaign)

Ayotte also kept a close eye on New Hampshire politics in the intervening years and made occasional appearances Republican Party events in the state. She also continued to write opinion pieces on important state, national and international issues.

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Ayotte announced her governorship bid last year after Sununu announced he would not seek re-election in 2024.

Ayotte remained neutral during the first presidential primaries in New Hampshire, but she endorsed Trump in early March just after he clinched the Republican nomination.

He will solve the disaster on the southern border, and we see it on the northern border as well, to keep the country safe,” Ayotte told Fox News Digital in a June interview.

Ayotte’s leading opponent in the Republican primary, former Senate President Chuck Morse, touted his support for Trump and highlighted Ayotte’s past criticism of the former president.

But Trump remained neutral in the New Hampshire Senate primary, while Ayotte crushed Morse and the rest of the Republican field.

The former president, who trailed far in the polls in the Granite State, also left the state in the general election, placing only the bare minimum of resources in New Hampshire.

That meant that, aside from the strong support she received from the Republican Governors Association, Ayotte was largely alone in her battle against Craig in the general election.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on our Fox News Digital election hub.