It's a tight race in the battle to succeed popular swing state Republican governor

NEWFIELDS, N.H. — A caller canvass successful New Hampshire, location to the lone competitory gubernatorial predetermination this year, indicates a adjacent contention successful the conflict to win fashionable Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

And the results of the survey and different canvass released successful the Granite State earlier successful the week suggest former President Trump's lasting successful New Hampshire successful the White House contention whitethorn beryllium a resistance connected down-ballot Republicans.

According to a University of New Hampshire Survey Center canvass released Thursday, Democratic gubernatorial nominee and erstwhile Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig holds a razor-thin 47%-46% borderline implicit erstwhile U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican nominee.

A canvass released earlier this week from the Saint Anselm College Survey Center besides indicated a coin-flip race, with Ayotte holding a flimsy edge.

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Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican gubernatorial nominee successful New Hampshire, speaks with voters astatine the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival Sept. 7, 2024. (Kelly Ayotte campaign)

Ayotte, acknowledgment to her six years successful the Senate and her tenure arsenic a authorities lawyer wide earlier her work connected Capitol Hill, has acold greater sanction recognition than Craig and has a sizable run currency vantage implicit her rival.

But the caller polls suggest Trump whitethorn beryllium doing Ayotte nary favors.

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"Kelly's precise popular, but I bash deliberation Trump's a burden," longtime Granite State-based GOP advisor and erstwhile authorities lawyer wide Tom Rath told Fox News.

Trump came wrong astir 3,000 votes of carrying New Hampshire successful his 2016 statesmanlike predetermination victory. But 4 years ago, President Biden topped Trump by implicit 7 points successful New Hampshire.

Former President Trump, the Republican statesmanlike nominee, delivers remarks alongside supporters, run unit and household members during his superior nighttime rally astatine the Sheraton Jan. 23, 2024, successful Nashua, N.H. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

The UNH canvass indicates Trump is down by 11 points to Vice President Kamala Harris. And the Saint Anselm College survey points to an precocious single-digit pb for Harris successful New Hampshire.

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"If this were a straight-up predetermination without the statesmanlike contention connected it, I deliberation Kelly would person a pb extracurricular the borderline of error," argued Rath, who stayed unaffiliated successful the 2024 Republican statesmanlike superior contention and served arsenic a apical advisor to Trump rival and then-Ohio Gov. John Kasich successful the 2016 GOP information battle.

A New Hampshire-based Republican strategist told Fox News "Trump is decidedly an anchor connected Kelly and her run close now, and she's the flagship."

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic statesmanlike nominee, arrives to talk during a run halt astatine the Throwback Brewery successful North Hampton, N.H., Sept. 4, 2024.  (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The strategist, who asked to stay anonymous to talk much freely, noted that Ayotte's "status arsenic a flagship means everybody's taking shots astatine her. There's not a batch of grounds of enactment successful New Hampshire by the Trump campaign, truthful it's truly Kelly versus the satellite close now."

And different Granite State-based Republican advisor besides pointed to meager engagement and resources successful New Hampshire coming from the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

"Kelly's retired warring this happening each by herself. That's not a bully spot to be. You request different radical drafting fire," said the consultant, who besides asked for anonymity. "[Trump's] not focusing connected New Hampshire. His atrocious canvass numbers and deficiency of enthusiasm is dragging the full summons down."

Craig, who served 3 two-year presumption steering the Granite State’s largest city, narrowly topped Cinde Warmington, the lone Democrat connected the state’s five-member Executive Council, to seizure their party’s information successful past week's authorities primary.

Ayotte, a erstwhile authorities lawyer wide earlier winning predetermination to the Senate successful 2010, soundly defeated erstwhile New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse to triumph the GOP gubernatorial nomination. 

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Sununu, who decided against moving for re-election this twelvemonth aft winning 4 consecutive two-year presumption arsenic New Hampshire politician (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the lone states successful the federation that elite governors each 2 years) endorsed Ayotte this summertime successful her superior race.

And Ayotte pledges to proceed the Sununu docket if elected to win the fashionable GOP governor.

Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire is interviewed by Fox News Digital July 11, 2024, successful Newfields, N.H.  (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

Ayotte was a rising star successful the Republican Party successful 2016 with a burgeoning illustration connected nationalist information arsenic she was moving for re-election.

But conscionable up of the 2016 election, she withdrew her enactment for Trump implicit the "Access Hollywood" controversy, erstwhile Trump made crude comments astir grabbing women without their consent.

"I cannot and volition not enactment a campaigner for president who brags astir degrading and assaulting women," Ayotte said astatine the time. 

Ayotte mislaid re-election by a razor-thin borderline of conscionable implicit 1,000 votes to then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.

Ayotte stayed neutral successful New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation statesmanlike primary, but she endorsed Trump successful aboriginal March, close aft helium clinched the GOP nomination.

Rath, pointing to Ayotte's backing of Trump, said "her position, which was to clasp him and not make space, I recognize wherefore she's made it, and you instrumentality the consequences of it … if that's the apical of the ticket, and you're the adjacent level down, it's truly hard to get astir that occupation successful a race."

Also moving against Ayotte is an avalanche of antagonistic ads that person been moving against her each summer, courtesy of nationalist Democratic groups.

The attacks person helped to rise Ayotte's antagonistic ratings successful some the UNH Survey Center and Saint Anselm College polls.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 run trail, exclusive interviews and much astatine our Fox News Digital predetermination hub.