The race to succeed the popular Republican governor in a swing state is tight.

In New Hampshire, where the only competitive gubernatorial race is taking place, a recent poll shows a tight contest between the candidates vying to succeed popular Republican Governor Chris Sununu.

The results of a survey and another poll conducted in New Hampshire indicate that the standing of former President Trump in the White House race may negatively impact the performance of down-ballot Republicans.

A poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center shows that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joyce Craig has a slight 47%-46% lead over Republican nominee Kelly Ayotte.

Earlier this week, a poll from the Saint Anselm College Survey Center showed a close race between Ayotte and her opponent, with Ayotte having a slight advantage.

Ayotte, with her six years in the Senate and previous experience as a state attorney general, has a greater name recognition and a significant financial advantage over Craig in her campaign.

But the new polls suggest Trump may be doing Ayotte no favors.

Tom Rath, a longtime Granite State-based GOP consultant and former state attorney general, stated that while Kelly is very popular, he believes Trump is a burden.

In the 2016 presidential election, Trump narrowly lost New Hampshire by around 3,000 votes. However, in the 2020 election, Biden won New Hampshire by more than seven points.

A UNH poll shows Trump trailing Harris by 11 points, while a Saint Anselm College survey indicates a single-digit lead for Harris in New Hampshire.

If the 2024 Republican presidential primary race were not included, Kelly would likely have a lead outside the margin of error, according to Rath, who served as a top adviser to Trump rival John Kasich in the 2016 GOP nomination battle and remained unaffiliated in the 2024 race.

A Republican strategist from New Hampshire stated on Planet Chronicle that Trump is currently anchoring Kelly's campaign and she is the flagship.

The strategist, who wished to remain unidentified to speak more openly, pointed out that Ayotte's status as a flagship has made her a target for criticism. With little evidence of Trump campaign activity in New Hampshire, the race is currently between Kelly and the rest of the world.

Another Granite State-based Republican consultant highlighted the lack of involvement and resources from the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee in New Hampshire.

"The consultant advised that Kelly should not be fighting alone and that she needed others to draw fire. He also requested anonymity. According to the consultant, Trump was not focusing on New Hampshire, which was negatively impacting the entire ticket due to his poor poll numbers and lack of enthusiasm."

In the state primary last week, Craig, who served three two-year terms as mayor of the largest city in New Hampshire, won the nomination for his party by a narrow margin over Cinde Warmington, the only Democrat on the state's five-member Executive Council.

In 2010, Ayotte, who was previously the state attorney general, won the GOP gubernatorial nomination by defeating former New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse.

This summer, Sununu, who had won four consecutive two-year terms as New Hampshire governor, endorsed Ayotte in her primary race.

If elected, Ayotte promises to carry on with the Sununu plan.

In 2016, Ayotte was a prominent Republican figure with a growing reputation on national security as she sought re-election.

Prior to the 2016 election, she withdrew her support for Trump after he made lewd remarks about grabbing women without their consent in the "Access Hollywood" controversy.

At that time, Ayotte stated that she would not back any presidential candidate who boasted about mistreating and assaulting women.

Maggie Hassan won re-election as governor of New Hampshire by a narrow margin of approximately 1,000 votes over Ayotte.

Ayotte remained impartial during New Hampshire's initial presidential election, but later endorsed Trump in March, following his securing of the Republican nomination.

Rath explained that Ayotte's support for Trump was understandable given her position, but it would be difficult to avoid the consequences of that stance in a race.

An avalanche of negative ads has been running against Ayotte all summer, with national Democratic groups working against her.

The negative ratings of Ayotte have increased in both the UNH Survey Center and Saint Anselm College polls due to the attacks.