Kelly Ayotte faces backlash for promoting far-right extremist in TV ad

Republican Kelly Ayotte’s campaign for governor is under fire again, this time for featuring   activist Brittany LeClear-Ping — a member of the far-right groups Moms for Liberty and the Free State Project — in a new TV ad.

The New Hampshire branch of Moms for Liberty gained national attention for placing $500 “bounties” on teachers in the state and encouraging residents to report teachers who run afoul of the state’s so-called “divisive concepts” law, which was ultimately overturned by a federal judge earlier this year.

“I’m a member of Mom’s for Liberty, yes.” LeClear-Ping said in a Free State Project broadcast in 2021 while being interviewed by Jeremy Kauffman — the same Jeremy Kauffman recently visited by the FBI for incitement of violence against Kamala Harris, a story that made national headlines.

Ayotte was seen mingling with Kauffman at a conservative event in 2023, and accepted Kauffman’s endorsement without objection when he offered it earlier this year. Kauffman later said he had a call with Ayotte, a claim that has gone undisputed by the campaign.

Kauffman’s wife, Rachel Goldsmith — a former Executive Director of the Free State Project — leads the Mom’s for Liberty NH Chapter. 

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This is the second ad crisis for Ayotte and her campaign as they head towards a November showdown with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joyce Craig.

The Ayotte campaign was forced to pull down an ad in late August that inaccurately linked the tragic 2015 murder of Manchester resident Denise Robert to Craig, the one-time mayor of Manchester, on the ninth anniversary of Robert’s death.

The ad falsely stated the crime occurred during Craig’s tenure. It occurred during the tenure of Republican Ted Gatsas.

The decision to feature LeClear-Ping has drawn sharp criticism from  Craig’s campaign.

“Kelly Ayotte’s decision to prop up extremists like Brittany LeClear-Ping, Jeremy Kauffman, and Jon Stone from the far-right fringes shows Granite Staters everything they need to know about how Ayotte would lead from the corner office, Joyce Craig’s Campaign Manager, Craig Brown, said.  “Instead of proposing real solutions to the challenges facing New Hampshire families, Ayotte is promoting a member of an organization that put bounties on New Hampshire educators — giving voters yet another reason not to trust her.”

The Craig campaign emphasized that Ayotte’s connections to far-right extremists are alienating New Hampshire voters.

LeClear-Ping’s inclusion in the ad adds to a growing list of far-right figures Ayotte has aligned herself with in addition to Kauffman, including Jon Stone, Harry Bean, Ken Weyler and Lisa Mazur, among others.