Kelly Ayotte defeats Joyce Craig in New Hampshire governor's race, CBS News projects
CONCORD, N.H. – Joyce Craig conceded to former Sen. Kelly Ayotte in the New Hampshire governor's race Tuesday night. CBS News has also projected the race in Ayotte's favor.
Ayotte, a Republican, will now succeed Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
Here are the latest live vote totals from CBS News:
New Hampshire Governor election results
Craig concedes to Ayotte
"I wish her the best, she ran a great campaign, and I called her and congratulated her," Joyce Craig told WBZ-TV.
Ayotte addressed her supporters and those who didn't vote for her, saying she will work for everyone in New Hampshire.
"Our state has so much to be proud of," Ayotte said. "We are unique in so many ways. And tonight's victory is a victory for New Hampshire, but it's also a victory for an even brighter future for the greatest state in the nation."
Ayotte will become the third woman elected as New Hampshire's governor. The other two, Democrats Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, are now in the U.S. Senate.
Kelly Ayotte vs. Joyce Craig
Ayotte is a former U.S. Senator for New Hampshire. Joyce was previously the mayor of Manchester.
The governor's race led to an onslaught of television attack ads between the two candidates throughout the summer and fall.
When Ayotte announced that she would be running for governor, she proclaimed that "We are one election away from becoming Massachusetts in New Hampshire."
"We have something very special in New Hampshire — no income (tax), no sales tax, education freedom is so important in our state. So I'm running for governor to make sure that New Hampshire remains safe, prosperous and free," Ayotte said at the time.
Craig vowed to tackle New Hampshire's housing crisis, strengthen public schools and expand access to reproductive health care.
Craig defeated challenger Cinde Warmington in September's Democratic primary while Ayotte topped Chuck Morse and a field of four other candidates.
Replacing Republican Chris Sununu
Ayotte will succeed Republican Chris Sununu, who announced last year that he would not be seeking reelection. Sununu has been in office since 2016, serving four two-year terms.
Before announcing he would not seek reelection, Sununu considered becoming a candidate for president, but he eventually decided not to run.