EXCLUSIVE: CONCORD, N.H. — Kelly Ayotte becomes the nation's newest governor on Thursday when she's inaugurated at the New Hampshire State House.
The former U.S. senator, who previously served as a state attorney general, takes office in the key New England swing state a week and a half before President-elect Trump is inaugurated.
And Ayotte, who succeeds fellow Republican Gov. Chris Sununu in steering the Granite State, says she looks forward to working with the Trump administration.
"I'll work with the administration on behalf of New Hampshire and advocate for the Granite State on important priorities here: keeping the state safe, making sure that when it comes to federal resources that we're advocating for New Hampshire, so I look forward to working with the administration," Ayotte said in a national exclusive interview with Fox News Digital ahead of her inauguration.
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During last year's gubernatorial campaign, which culminated with Ayotte defeating Democrat gubernatorial nominee and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig by nearly 10 points in November's election, the issue of illegal immigration and border security was often in the spotlight in a state that shares a border with Canada and has long dealt with an acute fentanyl crisis.
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Ayotte, who pledged on the campaign trail to prevent New Hampshire from becoming a sanctuary state for illegal migrants, will have what Sununu didn't enjoy the past four years: a Republican in the White House.
"President Trump is going to enforce the laws, and that's important to me. And we have a northern border."
Noting her tenure as a state attorney general, Ayotte said, "I believe it's important that criminals are held accountable. And as we look at New Hampshire, we're not going to allow New Hampshire to become a sanctuary state. And so it's important that we enforce our laws. We welcome legal immigration, but those who come here illegally and especially those who commit crimes need to be held accountable."
Ayotte was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and was a rising star in the GOP and regarded as a leader on national security and foreign policy.
But Ayotte lost re-election in 2016 by a razor-thin margin of just over 1,000 votes at the hands of then-Democrat Gov. Maggie Hassan.
Now, as she takes over running the Granite State, she said that "my No. 1 priority is being a governor for everyone in New Hampshire, for all the people, and being accessible to the people of New Hampshire."
"Making sure that we continue to grow our economy, our prosperity, our freedom here in New Hampshire, having a responsible budget where we live within our means but serve the people of New Hampshire effectively, those will be my priorities on day one," she added.
Ayotte, who made history nearly two decades ago as the state’s first female attorney general, made history again in November as the first Republican woman to win election as New Hampshire governor.
"We have so many strong women that have served in this state, a great history," Ayotte said. "There are so many examples of women who have led and great men who have led, too."
She said her "hope is that every young girl out there understands that whatever position she strives to attain, it's available to her, and that we aren't even having these discussions about whether a woman's elected or a man's elected because it's just equal for everyone to understand that those opportunities are there, and I think that's what's happening in New Hampshire."
