New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte said Tuesday she is ready to work with the incoming Democratic legislative majority, but drew a hard line against tax increases, including an income tax and any effort to repeal the state's new property tax cap.
"I think it's really important to protect the New Hampshire advantage," Ayotte told reporters at her first press conference since last week's elections. "I don't support an income tax. I don't think that's a surprise to people."
Asked how the incoming Democratic majority, including a supermajority in the House, has affected her priorities for the next biennium, Ayotte said she sees an opportunity for bipartisanship.
"My standard is really simple. When I think there's work that we can do together that helps New Hampshire, then we're going to work together. And if there's something that I think that hurts our state, of course I'm going to stand up for the people of the state," she said. "We have to work across the aisle to do the people's business, and I think that the people of New Hampshire expect us to find ways to work together."
Ayotte pointed to her own record working with both parties, noting that she was "appointed attorney general by both a Republican governor and a Democratic governor. And when I first got into (the U.S. Senate), President Obama was in the Oval Office, and he was there the whole time I was." Republican Gov. Craig Benson appointed her attorney general in 2004, and Democratic Gov. John Lynch reappointed her twice. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and served one term, losing her re-election bid to then-Gov. Maggie Hassan in 2016.
Senate Democrats have already chosen their leadership, but the House Democratic caucus will not decide until Thursday. Rep. Alexis Simpson, who served as House minority leader last session, is seeking the speaker's gavel and has been a vocal critic of many of Ayotte's priorities, particularly on taxes.
Democrats have been promoting the idea of restoring the income tax on interest and dividends that Republicans eliminated as of 2025. Another proposal is to repeal or overturn the property tax cap law passed last year. Nearly 60% of Granite Staters voted Tuesday to cap their local school property tax growth. Under the current law, the question will return to the ballot in 2028.
"I would like to bring property taxes down," Ayotte told reporters. "I think we all would agree on that. And the people of New Hampshire had an opportunity to weigh in on that in their elections. And I thought it was important that they have that voice."
Asked whether she would be willing to sign a bill repealing New Hampshire's current tax cap law, Ayotte said: "We are at our best when decision-making power is in the hands of the people. Granite Staters in towns across the state made their opinions clear, and the legislature needs to respect that."
She said there is still room to work together on housing, child care and energy costs.
"I'll certainly be looking for ways for us to work together on those areas where we know we can do better for the state, and we want to make sure that the people of the state have access to affordable housing and child care, as well as I hope that they want to work with me to bring energy costs," Ayotte said. "When I look at the dozen housing bills we got done (last session), they were bipartisan. There already has been some bipartisanship we can build on, and I look forward to taking these issues on and trying to find common ground."
