Republican Kelly Ayotte defeated Democrat Joyce Craig in the closely watched New Hampshire governor’s race. Ayotte, a former state senator, and Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, were vying to fill the open seat left vacant by outgoing Gov.

New Hampshire's governorship will stay in Republican hands after former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte beat Democratic opponent Joyce Craig to return to the Granite State's political spotlight, AP reports. The big picture: The race was seen as one of the most competitive gubernatorial contests in the country and Democrats' best hope to flip a governor's mansion to the blue column.

Ms. Ayotte entered the race with greater name recognition than the Democrat, Joyce Craig, and was seen as a natural successor to Gov. Chris Sununu, a moderate Republican.