New Hampshire
Election Day may be a year off, but NH’s 1st Congressional District race is already lively
The 2026 elections may be more than a year away, but there is one race in New Hampshire that’s already drawing a large — and growing — field of candidates. That’s the contest for the 1st Congressional District seat, now held by Democrat Chris Pappas. NHPR’s Josh Rogers spoke with All Things Considered host Julia Furukawa to discuss why who’s running and what this race may tell us about the state of both political parties.
Below is a lightly edited transcript.
So, it’s July 2025, and there are seven candidates — five Democrats and two Republicans — in this race so far. Others are looking at it. This seems early, no? I mean, the primary is more than a year away.
It is early, and some candidates are already out there doing the kind of retail campaigning you’d normally expect to see a year from now.
For instance, I caught Stefany Shaheen, one of the Democrats in the race, in Manchester Thursday with former Gov. John Lynch, shaking hands with local business owners.
So it’s is already a lively race. Let’s start with the Democrats.
Sure. Congressman Chris Pappas is vacating this seat to run for U.S. Senate, and so far five Democrats have lined up to succeed him. It’s already clear the field covers a reasonably wide swath of the party as it’s really still working to define itself in the second Trump term.
We already heard from Stefany Shaheen. She’s a former Portsmouth city councilor, and now works as an executive at Dean Kamen’s government-backed bio-engineering effort, ARMI. But, in fact, she’s probably best known for her last name: She’s the daughter of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. That name — and the connections that go along with it — are on display already. Her ability to secure the endorsement of somebody like Lynch, a popular former governor, like is an obvious plus. But some of her opponents are already working to make all that a liability.
Here’s part of the campaign launch video of Democrat Christian Urrutia, a lawyer who lives in Moultonborough:
“There will be many good Democrats in this race, but familiar names and the politics of yesterday aren’t enough to meet the moment. We need to do better.”
Now, that’s not exactly a veiled poke at Shaheen there.
No, it’s not. Let’s stick with the Democrats. You indicated candidates are coming from several different corners of the party in this race. One has run for this seat before, yes?
Yes. Maura Sullivan of New Castle. She was new to New Hampshire when she ran the first time, in 2016. It’s seven years later, and these days she is vice chair of the state Democratic Party — and very comfortable working within the party’s power structure.
In this race, she’s also highlighting her background as a Marine and her time working on veterans issues during the Obama administration. And she’s definitely casting herself as next in line in New Hampshire’s Democratic establishment. Here’s Sullivan speaking to WMUR in April:
“When I’m elected, I will be the first female Marine elected to Congress in this country. It’s only fitting that the first female Marine be elected from New Hampshire, as we have such a strong and proud tradition here — sending the first woman in our country to be both governor and U.S. senator, in Jeanne Shaheen.”
OK, so Sullivan name-dropping Jeanne Shaheen — and putting an emphasis on her military background. She’s not alone on that last count in this Democratic field.
You are right. Christian Urrutia, who we also heard from a moment ago, is in the New Hampshire National Guard. He now works at AirBnb but worked as a Pentagon lawyer during the Biden administration. He talked up that experience when he launched his campaign. But he also notes that his parents are both immigrants. And as far as his policies go, he’s announced some progressive ones: Medicare for All, universal daycare, and tuition free community college and trade school. But, right now, Urrutia is little known to Democrats here in New Hampshire.
So who else is there among the Democrats?
There is Carleigh Beriont — a Harvard instructor and member of the Hampton Selectboard. Beriont is the only person in this race who now holds any elected office. That’s something she’s stressed. Her husband is a public school teacher, and she’s very much playing up that she understands the pressures people face in making ends meet these days: the cost of childcare and housing for example. She’s also taking a few interesting stances, including forgoing social media.
This is what Beriont said to WMUR about this.
“I am not going to spend a single penny advertising on those websites, or use forums that are created to divide us, and to destroy our democracy to have conversations with people in this community.’
Another Democrat who appears to be embracing a less conventional approach to this campaign is Sarah Chadzynski of Lyndeborough. Tell me about her.
She’s a former teacher who has led international non-profits, and she’s calling herself a “movement” candidate informed by the recent “No Kings” protests. She kicked off what is clearly a pretty homespun campaign earlier this week by announcing her candidacy with remarks standing before a razor wire-topped fence at Strafford County Jail, the only location in the state where ICE detainees are held.
“Silence in the face of authoritarianism in our country or abroad is never an option. That’s why we are standing here today in front of Strafford County Corrections Center.”
So a strong human rights and democratic norms message there. It does seem like the Democrats in this race are working to harness whatever anti-Trump sentiment they think is animating people these days.
I think that’s right. They are doing so and in varying ways — informed by their backgrounds and temperaments.
What about the Republicans in this race? There are two so far. What are they saying?
There’s Chris Bright. He ran for this same seat last year, and finished fourth in the primary. Bright’s a veteran, a West Point graduate, and a businessman. He’s pointing to his leadership skills — and his experience running last year — as informing his candidacy. Here he is speaking to WMUR.
“I want to do this. I learned pretty much everything — well, I did learn absolutely everything — on the last run. And I almost feel like it’s a duty to take the lessons learned. The issues are still there.”
Now, in his last campaign, Bright initially seemed to be staking out a moderate place in the Republican Party. He’d said he supported Nikki Haley in the GOP presidential primary, and said abortion was an issue that was hurting Republicans. But eventually he described himself as a diehard Trump backer — willing to, as he put it, “crawl across broken glass” for Trump.
Intense. And the other Republican in this race so far?
That would be Melissa Bailey. She’s right now the vice chair of the Bedford Republican committee. She has a background in finance and accounting and she left the workforce to homeschool her kids about a decade ago. She told me she sees this as a good moment for Republicans, and she points to the raft of conservative policies coming out of the New Hampshire State House in recent months as proof of that:
“The political climate has changed quite a bit. And with our strong Republican legislators in our state having so much success, I think that’s going to help our party as well.”
Of course, voters won’t cast the first ballots in this race for more than a year. So who knows what the climate will look like then — for Democrats or Republicans?
HUDSON, N.H. — An animal cruelty investigation led to the arrest of two former tenants who police say left three cats behind in the apartment they were evicted from.
The Hudson Police Department said officers responded to 19 Oliver Drive on Nov. 25 after the town’s animal control officer received a report that multiple cats had been left behind in an apartment previously occupied by Faith Byers, 48, and Kevin Greene, 57.
The pair had reportedly been evicted a week earlier, on Nov. 18.
Police said that attempts to reach Byers and Greene by phone were unsuccessful, and the property owner later confirmed that the two had moved out without taking the cats or arranging for their care.
With the owner’s permission, police entered the apartment and found three cats alone inside the unoccupied residence.
Police said they determined the cats had been left unattended for several days in conditions lacking adequate airflow, sunlight, litter and consistent access to food or water. Police added that no care plan had been made for the animals, and neither former tenant indicated any intention to return for them.
The animals were safely removed and transported to the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire in Bedford, where they are now receiving care.
Arrest warrants were issued for Byers and Greene, who are each charged with one count of cruelty to animals, a Class A misdemeanor. They were arrested on Friday and released on personal recognizance bail.
They are scheduled to appear in 9th Circuit Court Nashua District Division at 1 p.m. April 28.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will meet in Islamabad today in an attempt to come up with a plan to de-escalate the Iran war.
The meeting comes as several thousand more U.S. troops arrived in the region and after another group got involved in the expanding conflict: Yemen’s Houthis.
The Iran-backed Houthis launched missiles towards Israel, and there’s concern their involvement could threaten another vital global shipping lane in the Red Sea.
Here are more updates on day 30 of the Iran war.
Diplomacy Push in Pakistan
The four foreign ministers from regional powers will meet in Islamabad today and Monday for a push towards diplomacy to end the war.
In a statement ahead of the meeting, the Egyptian government said: “Discussions are expected to focus on recent developments related to regional military escalation and ongoing diplomatic efforts to contain tensions and promote de-escalation.”
“The talks come amid heightened concerns about regional stability, with participating countries seeking to coordinate their stances and support political solutions to emerging crises,” it added.
Whether whatever consensus the countries known as “the quad” come up with will be accepted by the US, Israel, and Iran is another question.
Pakistan has emerged as a possible peace-broker in the conflict, passing messages between the U.S. and Tehran. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Saturday that “dialogue, diplomacy, and such confidence-building measures are the only way forward.”
Dar also welcomed the fact Iran has agreed to allow 20 Pakistan-flagged ships – or two a day – through the Strait of Hormuz.
Houthis enter war
Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen launched the first missile they have fired since the war began toward Israel on Saturday. Israel’s military successfully intercepted it but the Houthis’ attack opens another front in a war that has now moved into its second month.
Up until Saturday’s missile launch the Houthis had stayed out of this war. But a Houthi spokesman said attacks will continue until “the aggression on all resistance fronts stops.”
Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs / AP
/
AP
The Yemen-based rebels were active during Israel’s war in Gaza, firing on cargo ships in the Red Sea and disrupting global commercial traffic.
With Iran essentially blockading the Strait of Hormuz, driving up global oil prices, there are concerns that if the Houthis start attacking ships in the Red Sea again global shipping will be even more disrupted.
Iran also hit multiple sites around Tel Aviv and Jerusalem Saturday and Israel’s military says Iran is increasingly using cluster bombs.
Designed to detonate at high altitude the munition disperses dozens of smaller bombs that are more challenging for Israel’s multi-layered air defense system to intercept and can cause damage over a wider area.
Dozens of countries have signed onto a cluster munitions treaty banning the weapons – except Iran, Israel and the U.S.
Iran threatens U.S. universities in region
Iranian authorities and residents say more airstrikes hit them overnight. Social media videos from across Iran showed strikes hitting all over the country.
Israel’s military said it had completed what it called a wide-scale wave of strikes targeting weapons production and storage sites.
Iran claims U.S.-Israeli strikes hit a Tehran university over the weekend and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps threatened American university campuses in the Middle East in retaliation.
“We advise all employees, professors, and students of American universities in the region and residents of their surrounding areas” to stay a kilometer away from campuses, the statement, carried by Iranian media, said.
Several US universities have campuses in the Gulf, including New York University in the United Arab Emirates and Texas A&M University, among others, in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to fire drones and missiles at Gulf countries, with Kuwait saying it was intercepting missile and drone attacks early Sunday. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed ten drones.
Iran also claimed it had attacked two major aluminium sites in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Emirates Global Aluminium confirmed an Iranian attack wounded several and caused significant damage to its plant.
U.S. Troops injured, more arrive
At least 15 U.S. service members were wounded Friday in an Iranian strike on a Saudi air base that hosts American troops, according to the Associated Press, including at least five in serious condition. The missile and drone strikes targeted Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan air base, located outside the capital Riyadh.
Iran has targeted U.S. service members at bases throughout the region since the war began a month ago, in retaliation for the U.S. attacks and seeking to drive troops out of the region. Overall, the Pentagon has put the U.S. casualty toll at 13 killed and more than 300 injured.
On Saturday, troops from the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, made up of around 3,500 sailors and Marines, arrived in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.
The U.S. military will not say where and how they might be deployed. Thousands more soldiers from the U.S. military’s 82nd Airborne Division are also expected to be deployed.
Journalists killed in Lebanon
Three Lebanese journalists covering the Israeli invasion of the country’s south were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jezzine.
One of them worked for a TV channel affiliated with Hezbollah and Israel accuses him of being a militant rather than a journalist – but has not provided evidence. The journalist Israel says it targeted was Ali Shaeb, a veteran TV correspondent and household name in Lebanon. After killing him, Israel’s military issued a statement accusing him of exposing the locations of Israeli troops.
The other two journalists killed were siblings, TV correspondent Fatima Ftouni and her cameraman brother, Mohammed Ftouni. Afterward their father appeared on TV, saying he was proud of his children.
All three had been covering Israel’s invasion of southern Lebanon.
Lebanese officials called the attack a flagrant violation of international law, and said they’re complaining to the UN Security Council. Hundreds of fellow journalists marched at a protest vigil in Lebanon’s capital.
The three journalists were among at least 47 people killed Saturday in Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese health officials.
Nine of those killed were paramedics, which the head of the World Health Organization called “a tragedy,” noting health workers are protected under international law.
Israel has intensified its attacks across Lebanon, mostly in the South, where Israeli ground troops are moving northward to try to oust Hezbollah militants.
Another Israeli soldier was also killed in Lebanon, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressing his condolences on X over the weekend.
Developments in Syria, Iraq
The war is spreading to more parts of the Middle East. On Sunday, Syria said it had intercepted a drone strike from Iraq targeting a U.S. military base. Pro-Iran Iraqi groups have claimed responsibility for some attacks on US interests.
Separately, the Syrian and UAE governments condemned an attack targeting the residence of the Kurdish region’s president Nechirvan Barzani.
French President Emmanuel Macron also condemned the attack saying: “The sovereignty of Iraq, and of Kurdistan within it, is essential to regional stability. Everything must be done to prevent Iraq from being drawn into the ongoing escalation.”
On Sunday, the Israeli army said it had launched its “first” attack into Lebanon from Syria.
Jane Arraf in Amman, Emily Feng in Van, Turkey, Lauren Frayer in Jezzine, Lebanon, Carrie Khan in Tel Aviv, and Kate Bartlett in Johannesburg contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 NPR
New Hampshire
Abandoned Camper Fire On South Main Street Knocked Down By Concord Fire And Rescue Teams
CONCORD, NH — The Concord Fire Department is investigating the cause of a camper fire on South Main Street late Friday night.
Around 11:30 p.m., fire and rescue teams were sent to South Main Street, not far from Langdon Avenue, for a report of a camper on fire. Dispatch said it was unknown if anyone was inside or if the camper was abandoned.
“We have a couple of calls on it,” a dispatcher said. “It’s fully involved.”
A few minutes later, the fire was confirmed, and firefighters worked to extinguish it. The battalion commander confirmed no one was inside, and it appeared to be abandoned. Dispatch said, if they recalled correctly, the camper had been there for “quite a while.”
News 603 posted videos from the scene on Facebook here:
And here:
The bulk of the fire was knocked down after about 20 minutes, with firefighters overhauling and dealing with “the hot spots.”
Not long after the overhaul update, firefighters were sent to a business on South Main Street, near the camper fire, in response to a report of an alarm activation.
After investigating, there did not appear to be an activation at the business, a commander said. Later, dispatch said the alarm appeared to restore itself automatically. Firefighters cleared the scene of the business alarm just after midnight on Saturday.
New charge filed in case of accidental Anne Arundel Co. school shooting – WTOP News
OL coach Jim Harding gets first recruiting commitment for Michigan Football
Massachusetts bakery that made signature pizza trays for more than 100 years closes for good
Suing Fleet Farm: How Minnesota pierced federal immunity for the gun industry
Lawmakers signal K-12 teachers will get $2,000 raise, first pay increase since 2022 – SuperTalk Mississippi
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Scathing report claims nation’s oldest labor union ‘betrayed’ MAGA members through ‘shocking’ spending
Republican US lawmaker demands Congress vote on any Iran troop deployment
So you went to a No Kings protest. Now what?
JD Vance says he was ‘obsessed’ with UFOs, believes aliens are actually ‘demons’
The EU's recipe for trade deals : easy on beef, tough on wine
-
Sports1 week agoIOC addresses execution of 19-year-old Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi
-
New Mexico1 week agoClovis shooting leaves one dead, four injured
-
Miami, FL3 days agoJannik Sinner’s Girlfriend Laila Hasanovic Stuns in Ab-Revealing Post Amid Miami Open
-
Tennessee6 days agoTennessee Police Investigating Alleged Assault Involving ‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson
-
Minneapolis, MN3 days agoBoy who shielded classmate during school shooting receives Medal of Honor
-
Politics1 week agoSchumer gambit fails as DHS shutdown hits 36 days and airport lines grow
-
Technology1 week agoYouTube job scam text: How to spot it fast
-
Science1 week agoRecord Heat Meets a Major Snow Drought Across the West