Kelly
Ayotte

New England College announced a public forum between Ayotte and Warmington at Harpoon Brewery in Manchester on October 22, to be moderated by NHPR and Granite State News Collaborative journalists and broadcast by NHPR the following morning.

The Union Leader reported Ayotte and Warmington are set for four fall debates, with Warmington having challenged Ayotte to six. The first debate was scheduled for October 20 before the Manchester Chamber of Commerce at the Institute of Politics.

The National Federation of Independent Business's New Hampshire chapter endorsed Ayotte at a campaign stop in Goffstown, with the state director citing her positions on small-business tax relief, workforce development, health insurance, housing, and energy.

At the Goffstown campaign stop, Ayotte called for high-school coursework to transfer more easily to community colleges and four-year colleges, framing it as addressing workforce development needs.

An AARP New Hampshire poll showed Ayotte leading Warmington 52% to 45%, with a wider 57%–40% lead among voters aged 50 and older, and only 3% undecided.

NHPR reported that Ayotte's campaign attacked Warmington over her past work for Purdue Pharma and PainCare. Warmington responded that her Purdue work was long ago and PainCare work was standard legal representation.

InDepthNH.org reported the UNH Granite State Poll result showing Ayotte and Warmington in a statistical tie, with Ayotte at 47% and Warmington at 43% among likely voters.

The Concord Monitor published a letter criticizing Ayotte's past connections to opioid companies and her record on opioid-related matters. The letter is an opinion piece, not an independent news finding.

Senate President Sharon Carson said NH Senate Republicans agreed with Governor Ayotte's position supporting a moratorium on data-center construction in the state.

A UNH poll of 1,418 likely general-election voters conducted September 17–21 showed Ayotte ahead 47% to 43%, within the ±2.6 percentage point margin of error, and characterized as a statistical tie.

After Chief Justice Gordon MacDonald resigned following a Judicial Conduct Committee finding of violations, Ayotte said she was 'extremely disappointed' and would rely on the judicial selection commission for advice, with no set timetable for naming a successor.

Ayotte's campaign finance report showed $6.1 million in contributions and $3.9 million spent, with two-thirds of contributions from businesses or organizations, including $2 million from the Republican Governors Association.

At a Portsmouth Rotary Club meeting, Ayotte said it 'does not make sense at all to site a data center in New Hampshire' and that 'we don't have the energy for it,' a position The Dartmouth noted differed from a 2025 law she signed deregulating certain energy providers.

Kelly Ayotte spoke to reporters after filing for reelection at the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office, officially entering the 2026 gubernatorial race as the Republican incumbent.