New Hampshire Gov. Hassan to challenge Sen. Ayotte

New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan will challenge GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte next year, Hassan announced Monday — a decision that boosts Democrats' chances of winning the swing-state Senate seat and taking back control of the chamber.

"You can count on me to take my bipartisan approach, my common sense and my commitment to problem-solving and results to the Senate," Hassan said in a video announcing her candidacy.


Hassan's announcement is a boon for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which recruited the second-term governor to take on Ayotte. Democrats need to pick up four or five Senate seats — depending on which party wins the presidential election — to win back the Senate next year.

Polls have showed the popular Hassan running close with Ayotte in early matchups; Ayotte had a 3-point lead in an NBC News/Marist poll in early September. But Ayotte starts with a $5 million head start: The Republican will have raised $1.6 million in the third quarter, according to a campaign source. That's a slight uptick from the $1.4 million Ayotte raised in the second quarter.

The Hassan-Ayotte fight amplifies national attention on a race already at the center of presidential politics. The Senate race could determine whether Democrats are able to wrest back control of the chamber, which will give presidential candidates of both parties even more impetus to spend time in the early primary state.

Hassan recently endorsed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, though Clinton's rival, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, leads most Granite State polls. Ayotte, meanwhile, has been increasingly critical of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in recent weeks for pushing a standoff in the chamber that could have led to a government shutdown.

In the hours after Hassan's announcement on Monday, both parties unveiled what are likely to be the main lines of attack for the duration of the campaign.

Hassan gave her first interview as a candidate to WMUR-TV, telling the Manchester station that she is running to bring "the New Hampshire way" to Washington.

"Unfortunately, Sen. Ayotte has stood with special interests," Hassan said. "She has voted to cut Pell grants for college students. She has voted to make Medicare a voucher system and to erode Social Security benefits. And she's voted to defund Planned Parenthood. She has stood with special interests rather than the people of New Hampshire. I'll put New Hampshire first, and that's what this campaign will be about."

Ayotte welcomed Hassan to the race with a statement that avoided criticism of her new Democratic rival. "We have lots to talk about," Ayotte said, "including confronting the challenges facing our state and how we can best deliver results for New Hampshire families."

But Republican groups signaled quickly that they would be critical of Hassan's tenure as governor, labeling her the "gridlock governor" for her role in a protracted budget fight this past summer.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee hit Hassan for vetoing a budget passed by the GOP-controlled state Legislature — the two sides came to an agreement last month on a budget and averted a shutdown of the state government. Hassan "has failed to move New Hampshire forward — and now she wants to take her résumé of partisan gridlock to Washington as Harry Reid’s hand-picked Senate candidate," said NRSC communications director Andrea Bozek.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's political arm was ready for Hassan's announcement, releasing a 15-second web ad urging New Hampshire voters not to "give those Washington liberals another vote." And the GOP-leaning America Rising PAC launched a website highlighting increases in taxes and fees since Hassan became governor in 2013.

Hassan, for her part, touted her gubernatorial record in the announcement video. "We held the line against an income or sales tax," she said. "We balanced the budget and created a business-friendly environment that has New Hampshire's unemployment rate at the lowest levels since 2008."

Though the primary isn't until next September, Hassan is expected to clear the Democratic field. Her decision not to seek a third term does mean Democrats will be seeking a candidate for governor next year, however. Early speculation has centered on Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern. Chris Sununu, Van Ostern's GOP colleague on the Executive Council, is already in the gubernatorial race.

Democrats expressed confidence they would keep control in Concord, with Democratic Governors Association Executive Director Elisabeth Pearson noting that the GOP hasn't won the governorship in a presidential year since Steve Merrill was elected in 1992. (Republicans have won two midterm gubernatorial elections since then: Merrill's reelection in 1994 and Craig Benson's victory in 2002.)

Republican Governors Association Communications Director Jon Thompson said in a statement that Hassan's decision not to seek a third term "increases GOP chances of picking up the governorship and further puts Democrats on their heels nationally, creating the fifth open gubernatorial seat they must defend in 2016."

Kyle Cheney and Kevin Robillard contributed to this report.