A former Republican lawmaker from New Hampshire who served in the U.S. Senate for a term is hopping back into politics in an effort to save her state from the clutches of an increasingly left-wing Democratic Party.

Kelly Ayotte, who is a former state attorney general, has filed paperwork to run for governor to succeed Gov. Chris Sununu, Fox News reported. Sununu, who is popular in the state, announced last week he would not run for an unprecedented fifth two-year term.

“Governor Sununu is an excellent leader who has worked hard to defend our Live Free or Die values and improve New Hampshire’s quality of life,” Ayotte noted in a statement. “The battle to protect our Live Free or Die way of life must continue.”

She also discussed her gubernatorial bid during a “Fox & Friends” segment on Monday.

“I’m running for Governor because New Hampshire is one election away from becoming Massachusetts – from becoming something we are not,” she added.

“I was born here and raised here. I raised my kids here, and you know what? I am going to die here because this state and its people are different. What we have here is worth fighting for,” Ayotte went on. “Together, we will ensure that New Hampshire remains safe, prosperous and free.”

She previously made history as New Hampshire’s first and only woman to serve as state attorney general, from 2004-09. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and narrowly lost to Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan by just over 1,000 votes.

Ayotte becomes the second Republican to initiate a gubernatorial campaign, following the announcement that former longtime state Senate President Chuck Morse, who declared his candidacy just minutes after Sununu confirmed he would not seek re-election.

“I think I take what I did in the Senate presidency and take it to the governor’s job,” Morse told Fox News last week, reflecting on the conservative agenda he and Sununu passed over the past seven years.