Josh Rogers

There are 11 gubernatorial races this fall, and one of the most competitive is in the swing state of New Hampshire. Out-of-state money and political muscle are flowing into the race, which both candidates say amounts to a stark choice on social and fiscal issues.

The Obama campaign is trying to link Republican Mitt Romney to controversial moves by the New Hampshire state Legislature on women's health. But Romney has a strong advocate in Sen. Kelly Ayotte in a state that could potentially have a female governor and an all-female congressional delegation next year.

In Florida, the ad war centers on Medicare. In New Hampshire, a big topic this week is federal student loans. The ads show how the campaigns are tailoring their message to specific voters in key states.

That Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire is even being considered as Mitt Romney's running mate is somewhat remarkable. Her state has just four electoral votes, and Ayotte has been a U.S. senator for less than two years. But as Romney nears his choice, Ayotte remains in the discussion.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spent his July Fourth holiday marching in a New Hampshire parade. He also backtracked on a top adviser's statement calling the individual mandate in the Obama health care law a fee or a fine. Romney says the Supreme Court ruled that it's a tax.

Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire is the latest politician to appear on the campaign trail with presumed Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. That's fueled speculation that Ayotte is being considered as a running mate.

Until the current fight over a similar federal regulation, the New Hampshire law requiring contraceptive coverage was on the books for more than a decade without controversy. Now Republicans in the state Legislature are trying to carve out a religious exemption.

Opponents of same-sex marriage believe that if a Democrat-dominated Statehouse could vote in gay marriage, a Republican-dominated one may be able to vote it out. A bill to repeal the law has the backing of some top leaders in the GOP-controlled Legislature, but rescinding rights is never easy.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum nearly won the Iowa caucuses on the strength of his retail campaigning across all of the state's counties — and his connection with Christian conservative voters. Now he's in New Hampshire, with just days to go before the first-in-the-nation primary. Santorum is trying to connect with independent-minded voters in a very secular state.

The former Massachusetts governor was citing lofty themes of patriotism on the campaign trail in New Hampshire Tuesday before heading off on a bus tour of Iowa.