{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/speeches?ContentRecord_id=4B1E25BA-2B67-44B0-8238-34CEA7DBC746", "On the Service of Kelly Ayotte In the Senate", "2016-12-08", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "WY", "Michael Enzi", "E000285", "www.enzi.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "At the end of each session of Congress it is a tradition for the Senate to pause for a moment to acknowledge and express our appreciation for the service of each senator who will not be returning for the next session.\u00a0 One of those we will miss next year will be Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.\r\nDuring the past six years, those of us who had a chance to come to know and work with her have been impressed with her dedication to the people of her home state, her involvement with the issues of concern to them, and her willingness to work with members on both sides of the aisle to find solutions to the problems and concerns of the people of New Hampshire.\u00a0\r\nThree steps brought her to the Senate after she earned her law degree from Villanova.\u00a0 First, she spent a year clerking for the New Hampshire Supreme Court.\u00a0 Then she spent the next part of her career in private practice.\u00a0 The third step brought her into the state attorney general\u2019s office and then on to serve as Attorney General.\r\nWhen Senator Judd Gregg announced his retirement Kelly knew the time was right for her to pursue another goal that strongly motivated her and would produce the best from her.\u00a0 She decided to run for the Senate so she resigned as Attorney General to make it possible.\u00a0\r\nIt wasn\u2019t easy as she battled forces that some thought might defeat her.\u00a0 Those who doubted her underestimated her innate political sense and her ability to reach the people of New Hampshire.\u00a0 In the end she was able to bring about a closely fought but well-earned victory in the primary and a big win in the general election.\r\nShe then came to Washington and she started right up working on a number of issues that she knew were a concern to the people back home.\u00a0 She made it clear that she would fight for what she believed to be best for the people of her home state, whether or not it left some observers shaking their heads.\r\nIt\u2019s unfortunate that she will be leaving the Senate after this six year introduction that has made her love of New Hampshire and the United States very clear.\u00a0 If her past is any indication of her future, I think it is clear that she will be closing the door on this great chapter of her life and moving on to something new.\u00a0 Whatever that may prove to be I am certain it will make good use of her talents, abilities, background, knowledge and experience.\u00a0 I hope it is in some part of our government.\u00a0 There is no doubt that we need good people like Kelly to make this a better country for us all.\r\nI have a prediction to make about her future -- we haven\u2019t seen the last of Kelly Ayotte.\u00a0 She has a lot more to give to our country and I think we\u2019re all looking forward to seeing it.\u00a0\r\nDiana joins in sending our best wishes to you, and our appreciation for your willingness to serve in the government.\u00a0 There are countless sayings about how politics isn\u2019t for anyone but the brave and the resilient.\u00a0 I think your experience, especially this past year, has shown that you are more than tough enough for any career challenge.\u00a0 Good luck in whatever you choose to do next.\u00a0 Clearly, you specialize in making the world a better place and that is a win/win for us all \u2013 especially our children and grandchildren.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/speeches?ContentRecord_id=4B1E25BA-2B67-44B0-8238-34CEA7DBC746"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9413212537765503, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}