The Ayotte era set to begin in New Hampshire.
Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte is set to assume office Thursday and begin combing through critical issues facing the Granite State.
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"I think housing is a big issue here in New Hampshire, and how we tackle that, because it's not as easy as just throwing money at something," said Neil Levesque of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.
"There's also the conversation about the homelessness situation, which is really centered around Manchester," said political analyst Scott Spradling.
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Analysts are laying out the difficult, but doable, path that lies ahead.
"It's off to the races, because we jump right into a budget cycle for New Hampshire, which is starting to look a little bit difficult," said Spradling.
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But changes in Concord aren't limited to the State House. New Hampshire GOP Chair Chris Ager is also stepping aside — a decision he says came naturally.
"It's a good time to leave," said Ager. "We've got a good hold on the State House."
While shifts in party leadership often come with a new governor, some see more to the decision.
"[Gov. Chris] Sununu probably might have had disagreements with Ager, but to some degree, it's — Ager's boss was the state party, the state officials, and so he was catering to that group," said Levesque.
As those inner dynamics play out behind closed doors, focus is turning to the future for Republicans hoping to expand their reach to Washington in the years ahead.
"Right now, Democrats are well represented, Republicans are not," said Ager. "This state's about 50/50 split, we should have at least some Republican representation."
Ayotte's inauguration is scheduled for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday in Concord. It's the first time in eight years a new Granite State governor will be sworn in.
