Preece: Rebuttal To Gov. Ayotte: Billboards Don't Fix Schools, Grow An Economy, Or Build A Future

By Rep. David Preece and Gov. Ayotte news release, InDepth NH

MANCHESTER, NH — Governor Kelly Ayotte wants the country to believe New Hampshire is thriving under her watch. But no billboard truck rolling through Manhattan—or Manchester, for that matter—can hide the simple truth: Ayotte has spent her term defunding the very foundations that make a state worth moving to in the first place.

Ayotte touts “economic opportunity,” yet she cut state support for public schools, forcing local property taxpayers to shoulder even more of the burden. New Hampshire homeowners—especially in cities like Manchester, Nashua, and Rochester—are already paying some of the highest property taxes in the nation. Under Ayotte’s budgets, that pressure only worsens. A state that refuses to adequately fund its own children’s education doesn’t become a magnet for innovation; it becomes a cautionary tale.

She boasts about “freedom” while presiding over some of the lowest investments in culture and the arts in the country — slashing grants that drive tourism, downtown revitalization, and the creative industries that power modern economies. Arts and culture are not luxuries; they are economic engines. Ayotte cut them anyway.

As for economic development, New Hampshire has fallen behind its neighbors because Ayotte dismantled programs that help small businesses expand, attract workforce talent, and modernize infrastructure. Instead, she pours her energy into political theater—billboard stunts that insult entire cities but do nothing to address New Hampshire’s real challenges: sky-high housing costs, a shrinking workforce, unaffordable child care, and gridlocked transportation systems.

Calling New York City “communist” from the comfort of a billboard is easy. Fixing New Hampshire’s housing crisis is hard.
Mocking another state’s mayor is easy. Building a 21st-century economy takes work.

Ayotte chooses the former every time.

While she rents flashy trucks in Manhattan, Granite Staters struggle with rising energy costs that are among the highest in the country. Families brace for another year of inadequate school funding—despite court rulings declaring our current system unconstitutional. Workers leave the state because child care is either unavailable or unaffordable. Businesses can’t expand because employees have nowhere to live.

If Ayotte actually cared about economic opportunity, she would stop strangling public services and start investing in them. She’d fund the arts instead of gutting them. She’d strengthen public education instead of undermining it. She’d support small businesses by backing real, structural economic development—not gimmicks designed to score Fox News airtime.

And if she really cared about Granite Staters, she would stand up to the reckless tariffs imposed by her ally Donald Trump—tariffs that are actively driving up costs for New Hampshire manufacturers, farmers, and small businesses.

But she won’t. Because Ayotte’s politics are performative, not productive.
She governs by spectacle, not substance.

New Hampshire doesn’t need a governor obsessed with billboards.
We need a leader willing to fund our schools, invest in our communities, and build long-term prosperity—not tear it down for national political points.

Kelly Ayotte may think New Hampshire is her prop.
But Granite Staters deserve more than a prop governor.

Rep. David Preece

Below is Gov. Kelly Ayotte's press release

Governor Ayotte Invites NYC Businesses to Relocate to New Hampshire

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:November 5, 2025 CONTACT:John Corbett, press@kellyfornh.com NASHUA, N.H. — Following the election of Zohran Mamdani as Mayor of New York City, Governor Kelly Ayotte today invited businesses in the Big Apple looking to flee higher taxes and government red tape to move to New Hampshire. The Governor’s campaign is running ads in Manhattan today to share her invitation.

Announcing the campaign, Governor Ayotte said, “My message to business owners in New York City is this: Come to New Hampshire. We’ll help your business make the switch, and you’ll keep more of your hard-earned money!” Ayotte campaign spokesman John Corbett added, “New York can experiment with socialism — New Hampshire will stick with lower taxes and more freedom with Governor Ayotte in the corner office. Anyone seeking freedom from Mamdani’s disastrous policies is welcome to join us in the Granite State.” Under Governor Ayotte’s leadership, New Hampshire is the #1 state in the nation for economic opportunity, taxpayer return on investment, child wellbeing, and public safety, and has been recognized as the most competitive tax structure in the Northeast. The following ads are running in New York City today:

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Paid for by Kelly for New Hampshire, Chris Connelly Treasurer, PO Box 4723 Manchester, NH 03108

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.