For a newly-elected chief executive making her first appearance at the National Governors Association, New Hampshire’s Gov. Kelly Ayotte saw a lot of familiar faces.
Among them was South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry McMcMaster, who knows Ayotte from his time as the Palmetto State’s attorney general at the same time she held that position for New Hampshire.
“She’s getting a great welcome,” McMaster told NHJournal at the NGA event in Washington, D.C. Friday. And he shared a conversation he had with Ayotte earlier that day.
“She’s been an attorney general, a U.S. senator, and a governor. And this is the job she likes the best.”
Asked about McMaster’s comments, Ayotte confirmed it was true.
“Henry asked me, and I said that as governor, I feel like you can make the biggest difference,” Ayotte said.
“It’s great to have the prior experience as I come into this job — I know Secretary of State Marco Rubio from my days in the Senate. But it’s great to be governor because we have an awesome state. We’re the ‘Beast of the Northeast.’ So let’s keep that going. Let’s be a pro-business state.”
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at a business session with the nation’s governors, Friday, February 21, 2025, in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian)
Like their fellow Republican governors, both Ayotte and McMaster were in a positive mood about the future. The governors were hosted at the White House as part of the NGA weekend of events, and President Donald Trump talked up the success of the GOP. It was a message echoed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who served as White House spokesman during Trump’s first term.
“People are super excited. I think there’s a reason that you have so many governors who have turned out this year, and we’re all glad to be here work together and do great things,” Sanders told NHJournal.
Sanders pushed back on the idea that Trump’s willingness to share the credit for GOP success with the governors is something new.
“I think that’s what he’s always done. He’s always tried to bring more people into the fold and into the mix. And now you’re seeing that, through his policies, he’s bringing more people to the table,” Sanders said.
And what about Ayotte representing a New England state, and one of just three states with Republican governors that Trump lost? How do her fellow Republicans view her?
“She’s from a blue part of the country, but she’s not blue — she’s a good Republican. We need her up there,” McMaster said.
Ayotte also embraced the Granite State’s status in New England.
“I love that we’re sort of our own player in New England. We’re unique. I ran on that, so I’m very proud to promote that down here, too.”
Ayotte hasn’t been in office for even two months yet, but D.C. GOP insiders are already talking about a possible role for her in national politics.
“Kelly has a natural national profile not only because she is a former senator but because she won, quite easily, in a purple state,” said GOP strategist Matthew Bartlett. “She is a conservative with cross-spectrum appeal from MAGA to moderates and Democrats alike. And she won in large part because she has both common sense and authenticity which are the rare currencies in American politics right now.”
Ayotte brushed off questions about national politics, focusing instead on what’s happening in New Hampshire. At the national level, she said she was encouraged by feedback from the Trump administration on the issue of block grants.
“Give the states more flexibility so that we can spend federal dollars in a way that’s good for New Hampshire. We could cut some of the red tape. I think Republican governors feel very strongly about it,” Ayotte said.
She also had a message for legislators back in New Hampshire who might be working to water down the fix for bail reform that’s working its way through the State House: Don’t.
“They may think, ‘The cat’s away, so the mice will play.’ Well, this cat will definitely bring out her claws,” Ayotte said. “I believe very strongly that we need to get this fixed once and for all. Quit tinkering. Let’s just protect the public.
“And if there’s one thing I heard, by the way, from President Trump, he said to all the governors: ‘You know one area where we can all work together: public safety.’ Let’s keep Americans safe. And let’s start with New Hampshire.”
