The first University of New Hampshire survey released since Gov. Kelly Ayotte took office shows a majority — 52 percent — approve of her job performance, and she has a 41 to 34 percent favorable to unfavorable advantage.
Given that Republican President Donald Trump is underwater in the same UNH survey (48 percent approve, 51 percent disapprove), Ayotte appears to be off to a good start.
According to the latest Granite State Poll, a States of Opinion Project, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, Ayotte’s net favorability is +8, up from -14 in August 2023. While her +75 margin among Republicans is impressive, the fact that her favorable rating is +10 among independents is probably more significant.
And Ayotte’s 52 percent job approval is close to the 53.7 percent of the vote she received in November.
“Ayotte has done just about everything right in the first 30 days and I expect her numbers are actually higher than this survey is registering,” said veteran GOP strategist Michael Dennehy. “Her media presence and her buzz on the ground suggest a stronger base. If she keeps this pace up, we’ll see her approval getting stronger.”
The first-term governor has made focusing on the budget her top priority in her early days on the job, and this poll shows it’s paying off with voters. Asked to name the most important decision she’s made that has their approval, the top answer was “handling of the budget/finances” at 26 percent, followed by her handling of taxes (7 percent) and her handling of immigration (7 percent).
On the flip side, the voters who are unhappy with Ayotte also name the budget/finances as the primary reason (22 percent), followed closely by her support for President Trump (20 percent).
Ayotte has also talked at length about addressing the state’s housing shortage, and her budget features several policies to promote more building across the Granite State. According to the UNH survey, housing is the most important issue to more voters than any other (29 percent), far ahead of taxes (10 percent) and education (8 percent).
“Granite Staters know Gov. Ayotte has been working from day one to deliver for all of New Hampshire. She is building a more efficient and effective government, supporting public safety, and holding the line against any effort to raise taxes,” said Ayotte spokesman John Corbett.
