New Hampshire

Governor’s races to watch in 2024: North Carolina, New Hampshire and Washington

Published

2 years ago

May 24, 2024

Press Room

Governor’s races to watch in 2024: North Carolina, New Hampshire and Washington

In a crowded election cycle, races at all levels of the ballot matter. Here are the governor’s races we’ve got our eyes on, and why.

While the U.S. presidential election will feature a rematch between Biden and Trump, there are several high-profile races, including 11 governor’s seats, to watch in November’s general election. The majority of the gubernatorial races feature new candidates, giving fresh faces the chance to occupy the governor’s mansion in eight states. Here’s a look at three state races that USA Today is closely monitoring.

Who’s running for North Carolina governor?

The Tar Heel State’s gubernatorial race is at the top of everyone’s watch lists, and for good reason. North Carolina is a swing state rife with contradictions and surprises. Exiting Democratic governor Roy Cooper has stood in stark contrast to the state’s deeply Republican legislature for the past eight years, winning the statewide vote in 2016 and 2020, while the state itself voted for Donald Trump.

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The state’s diversity, rapid population growth, and complex political legacy, ranging from Jesse Helms to Jim Hunt, will all come into play this November. But the scrutiny isn’t just due to North Carolina’s swing-state status – the contest features a showdown between two heavyweights of the state’s political scene, Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein and Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Millions of dollars are already pouring into the race.

Stein is hoping to ride on Governor Cooper’s popularity and continue the Democratic Party’s long-held dominance of the state’s governorship. Much of the national attention on the race is attributable to Robinson, who has made controversial remarks on topics including abortion, gun rights, and LGBTQ issues, with none of the scandals seeming to slow his momentum.

Who’s running for governor in New Hampshire?

The impending retirement of New Hampshire’s longtime Republican governor Chris Sununu gives Democrats a chance to take the governor’s mansion in the famously libertarian state. The moderate Sununu’s popularity repeatedly foiled Democrats’ attempts to claim the governorship.

The Granite State’s gubernatorial primaries are not until September. On the Democratic side, the front-runners are former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig and New Hampshire Executive Councilor Cinde Warmington, with restaurant owner and author Jonathan Kiper announcing their candidacy as well. On the Republican side, Former U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte faces former state Senate President Chuck Morse lead the pack, with Make America Jesus Included founder Shaun Fife in the mix as well.

Who’s running for governor in Washington?

The impending retirement of longtime governor Democrat Jay Inslee has left an opening for Republicans to take the governorship in the Democratic stronghold – Biden won the state by 19 points in 2020.

Prep for the polls: See who is running for president and compare where they stand on key issues in our Voter Guide

The Republican Party’s hope is largely pinned on the familiar name of Dave Reichert, a moderate Republican who represented Washington for 14 years in a district that leans Democratic. Presently, 28 candidates have filed to compete in Washington’s nonpartisan gubernatorial primary. Reichert’s most significant challenge across the aisle will be Democratic Attorney General Bob Ferguson. Other notable contenders include retired veteran Republican Semi Bird and Democratic state Senator Mark Mullett.

As reported by the Kitsap Sun, the race has already seen plenty of mischief. A local conservative activist contacted some of Washington’s 53 residents named Bob Ferguson, and ultimately helped two of the Bobs to file for August’s Democratic primary, including paying each of the candidate’s nearly $2,000 filing fees. Both alternate Bob Fergusons exited the race after the original Bob, Attorney General Bob Ferguson, sent cease and desist letters and threatened prosecution.

Cy Neff reports on Wyoming politics for USA Today. You can reach him at cneff@usatoday.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CyNeffNews

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New Hampshire

Possible 2028 Democratic White House contenders weigh in on Iran with New Hampshire voters

Published

10 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Possible 2028 Democratic White House contenders weigh in on Iran with New Hampshire voters

As the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran overtakes the foreign policy debate in Washington, two Democratic governors with potential 2028 presidential aspirations — Gavin Newsom and Andy Beshear — recently traveled to New Hampshire, introducing themselves to the state’s famously engaged voters. The two weighed in on the war and both criticized and questioned President Trump’s strategy and endgame.

“If a president is going to take a country into war, and risk the lives of American troops and Americans in the region, he has to have a real justification and not one that seems to change every five to 10 hours,” Beshear told CBS News after a Democratic fundraiser in Keene.

“This President seems to use force before ever trying diplomacy, and he has a duty to sell it to the American people and to address Congress with it,” Beshear continued. “He hasn’t done any of that. In fact, it appears there isn’t even a plan for what success looks like. He’s gone from regime change to strategic objectives and now is talking about unconditional surrender, which isn’t realistic where he is.”

Beshear also said he thought that Congress should have reined in Mr. Trump’s war powers.

“He is trying to ignore Congress. He’s trying to even ignore the American people,” Beshear said.

He went on to note that the president’s State of the Union address took place “three — four days before he launched this attack,” and Mr. Trump “didn’t even have the respect to tell the American people the threat that he thought Iran posed to us.”

Last week, both the House and the Senate failed to pass resolutions to limit Mr. Trump’s war powers and stop him from taking further military action against Iran without congressional support.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear speaks with voters in Keene, New Hampshire, on March 7, 2026.

Anne Bryson

For Newsom, the war with Iran constitutes part of a broader criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At an event last Tuesday in Los Angeles, Newsom had compared Israel to an “apartheid state.” Later, in New Hampshire, he sought to clarify his comment.

“I was specifically referring to a Tom Friedman [New York Times] column last week, where Tom used that word of apartheid as it relates to the direction Bibi is going, particularly on the annexation of the West Bank,” Newsom explained during a book tour event Thursday night in Portsmouth. “I’m very angry, with what he is doing and why he’s doing it, what he’s going to ultimately try to do to the Supreme Court there, what he’s trying to do to save his own political career.”

Friedman wrote that at the same time that the U.S. and Israel are prosecuting a war in Iran, within Israel, Netanyahu’s government has undertaken efforts to annex the West Bank, driving Palestinians from their homes; fire the attorney general who is leading the prosecution against Netanyahu for corruption; and block the government’s attempt to establish a commission to examine the failures that led up to the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre of Jews by Hamas.

CBS News has reached out to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., for comment.

On Iran, Newsom said, “I’m very angry about this war, with all due respect, you know, not because I’m angry the supreme leader is dead. Quite the contrary. I’m not naive about the last 37 years of his reign. Forty-seven years since ’79 — the revolution,” Newsom said. “But I’m also mindful that you have a president who still is inarticulate and incapable of giving us the rationale of why? Why now? What’s the endgame?”

California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks with political commentator Jack Cocchiarella at an event in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on March 5, 2026.

Anne Bryson

Many attendees at Newsom’s book event said that the situation in Iran is a top-of-mind issue for them, too. Some said they’re “horrified” by what is happening.

29-year-old Alicia Marr told CBS News she decided to attend Newsom’s event because of his social media response to the war with Iran.

“There was one spot left, and I decided to pick it up, and it was due to his response to the war, that it is just unacceptable, and I would agree with that,” Marr said.

While some voters like Marr are eager to hear about where potential candidates stand on foreign policy, many at Newsom’s event said they care most about how potential candidates plan to address domestic issues.

“I’m more focused on getting the middle class back on track and fighting the oligarchy, and I’m less invested in international issues,” said Anita Alden, who also attended Newsom’s event,

“I wouldn’t call myself America first, but we have so many problems at home that are my priority,” she told CBS News.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, who may also be weighing another White House bid, told Fox 2 Detroit last week that she “unequivocally opposes” the Trump administration’s military action in Iran and urged Congress to take action.

“If we want to stop Donald Trump with this random decision that he has arrived at, then Congress must act, and Congress must act immediately. The American people do not want our sons and daughters to go into this unauthorized war of choice,” Harris said.

Mr. Trump has lashed out against Democrats who have pushed back on his Iran strategy, calling them “losers” last week and arguing that they would criticize any decision he made on Iran.

“If I did it, it’s no good. If I didn’t do it, they would have said the opposite, that you should have done this,” the president said.

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New Hampshire

Mass. man nabbed after allegedly driving over 100 mph in N.H.

Published

22 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Mass. man nabbed after allegedly driving over 100 mph in N.H.

Local News

Police say the Attleboro man was driving 104 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 202 near in Rindge, New Hampshire.

A Massachusetts man was arrested late Wednesday night after police say he was driving more than 100 mph on a New Hampshire roadway.

Officers with the Rindge Police Department stopped a vehicle shortly after 11 p.m. on Route 202 near Sears Drive in Rindge following a report of a car traveling at excessive speed, according to a statement from Chief Rachel Malynowski.

The vehicle, a 2020 Kia Stinger, was spotted traveling at 104 mph in a posted 55 mph zone, Malynowski said.

The driver, a 21-year-old man from Attleboro, was arrested and charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle, according to police.

He is scheduled to be arraigned April 5. If convicted, the man faces a fine of at least $750, in addition to the court’s penalty assessment, and a 90-day license suspension, Malynowski said.