U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte speaking with attendees at the 2016 First in the Nation Town Hall hosted by the New Hampshire Republican Party in Nashua, New Hampshire. (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr)
A Republican governor thumbed her nose at President Donald Trump on Friday as she poured cold water on any notions her state would join a handful of other GOP-led states to attempt mid-decade redistricting to boost the number of Republican seats in Congress ahead of a tough mid-term election next year.
Republican-led states are redistricting this year primarily to gain a political advantage before the 2026 midterm elections. In the most prominent example, Texas Republicans are pushing for a mid-decade redraw to add more congressional seats favorable to the GOP, which could increase their House majority. Democratic lawmakers fled the state to thwart the plan, leading to an escalating standoff with Gov. Gregg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Missouri and Florida have expressed interest in similar plans. But New Hampshire doesn't seem interested in joining them.
Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who backed Trump in 2016, then withdrew her endorsement after the release of the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape, only to give him her endorsement in his 2024 presidential bid, rebuffed the Trump-backed plan for her state.
“The timing is off for this, because we are literally in the middle of the census period,” she told WMUR. “And when I talk to people in New Hampshire, this isn't just — it’s not on the top of their priority list.”
Constituents, she said, want lawmakers to continue to work in the legislature on housing, child care, safety and education.
"I don't believe the timing is correct for this," she said.