When Kelly Ayotte ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010, she campaigned on her public service career and ability to work with both parties.

In doing so, she won the anti-establishment vote wave that over the next four years eventually led to the Republican Party taking control of both chambers on Capitol Hill.

In this election, she’s a lawmaker worth keeping in Washington, D.C.

Ayotte has a proven track record of bipartisanship, which is desperately needed at the federal level.

She has been a leading advocate in combating New Hampshire’s opioid crisis along with fellow U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, and the two have formed a powerful partnership in fighting this epidemic with their work on the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act.

Few politicians have attended more heroin forums than Ayotte. She has stopped by breakfast forums in Bedford, community meetings after dinnertime in Hudson, and countless tours of Nashua-based medical centers and hospitals. She has done ride-alongs with ambulance crews in Manchester to get an up-close look and has worked to eliminate the stigma surrounding addiction.

"As the heroin and prescription drug crisis grows and continues to threaten communities all across New England, Kelly Ayotte has worked with those of us on the front lines to save lives, stop the flow of drugs into our state and turn the tide of addiction," Sean Kilbreth, New Hampshire delegate and member of the board of directors of the New England Narcotic Enforcement Officers Association, said in a statement.

Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, who is seeking to replace Ayotte, has also provided a strong voice in the fight against opioids and has not wavered in her commitment to health care expansion and building a 21st-century economy through better education and workforce development.

Ayotte, however, is a less scripted policymaker and easily touts stronger foreign policy experience. She blends her hawkish beliefs, shared by Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain, with an aggressive approach to fighting terrorism.

Her tenure in the Senate includes a stint on the Armed Services Committee. Most importantly, she has been among the most ethical lawmakers during her public service; she has avoided any Washington scandals.

Ayotte also is a true fiscal conservative. With the help of her peers in the Senate, she helped pass the first balanced budget in 14 years for fiscal 2016. She also has fought against and successfully stifled unnecessary government spending. For instance, in 2013, Ayotte introduced a bill that successfully ended a missile program that the Pentagon said would never reach the battlefield. She also helped introduced a bill that eliminated more than 50 duplicate or unnecessary government reports.

Ayotte and Hassan have some clear differences. We believe Ayotte is right that Obamacare is a disaster and needs to be repealed and replaced.

Hassan thinks the Obama administration’s deal with Iran is the best way to keep nuclear weapons out of that terrorist-sponsoring state’s hands. We agree with Ayotte, who thinks this deal has emboldened Iran’s leadership and made the world a more dangerous place.

Democrats have connected Ayotte to Donald Trump, the problematic Republican presidential hopeful, as well as to the Koch brothers and other Washington insiders, but are mum about their own deep pockets and dependency on special interest groups.

In our opinion, Ayotte is more likely to break from Republican ranks to serve her constituents than Hassan. When it comes to New Hampshire’s best interests, we know Granite Staters are the priority with Ayotte.

If Hillary Clinton is going to win the presidency, as polling seems to indicate, the U.S. Senate needs to remain Republican controlled for balance. Ayotte’s re-election will go a long way toward keeping that balance.