New Hampshire

NH Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte names transition team chairs

A top law enforcement official and a business leader were selected for the posts

Hillsborough County Sheriff/NH Lottery Commission

New Hampshire Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte announced the two people who will head up her transition team on Monday morning.

Ayotte said in a statement that Hillsborough County Sheriff Christopher Connelly and Bedford businessman Andy Crews will serve as co-chairs of her transition team. She said more details will be released by the team in the coming weeks.

“The resounding message from voters on Tuesday night was that they want New Hampshire to keep moving in the right direction," Ayotte said in a statement. "Sheriff Connelly and Andy Crews will help me build a team that is ready on day one to deliver on our promise to keep New Hampshire safe, prosperous and free. They each bring loads of experience to the table, have my complete confidence, and are dedicated to doing what is best for our state above all else.”

Connelly has been Hillsborough County Sheriff since 2021. Before that, he served as chief deputy sheriff in Hillsborough County and as the police chief in Dunbarton.

Crews, a Marine Corps veterans, currently serves as the New Hampshire Lottery Commissioner, and is the former president and CEO of AutoFair Automotive Group.

Ayotte, a Republican, defeated Democratic challenger Joyce Craig in last week's election and will now succeed Chris Sununu as New Hampshire's governor. The former U.S. Senator and New Hampshire attorney general campaigned on continuing Sununu's legacy. She defeated Craig, the former Manchester mayor, in part by criticizing Craig's handling of homelessness and drug abuse in the city during her six years in office.

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