Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
New Hampshire
Gavin Newsom works to bolster Biden in a swing-state tour that could boost both their ambitions
HOOKSETT, N.H. (AP) — For years, Gavin Newsom stayed far away from New Hampshire by design.
The ambitious California governor understood that any visit to a bastion of presidential politics would fuel speculation that he might be eyeing President Joe Biden’s job. But on Monday, with Biden fighting an existential political crisis, the embattled president dispatched Newsom to New Hampshire to help rescue his flailing campaign.
It was the latest and perhaps most significant stop in a multi-state tour for Newsom, who has emerged as Biden’s most prominent battleground-state defender.
“I decided instead of just rolling over and giving up, that I would step up and pick up the fight,” Newsom told reporters at a highway rest stop in his first public appearance in the state as an elected official. He said of Biden, “He’s going to be our nominee.”
It’s a pivotal moment both for Newsom and his Democratic Party, which has been consumed by infighting and uncertainty in the wake of Biden’s disastrous debate performance just 11 days earlier.
Biden insisted again Monday that he would not suspend his campaign. But a growing number of elected Democrats in Washington and even here in New Hampshire are calling on the 81-year-old president to step aside, warning that he is too weak to defeat former President Donald Trump this fall and may not be able to lead the country effectively for another four years even if he wins.
Many Democratic officials believe Vice President Kamala Harris is best positioned to replace Biden. But the short list of top-tier alternatives is led by Newsom, a big-state governor with big ambitions who is as comfortable talking policy as he is mixing it up with leading Republicans.
What to know about the 2024 Election
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore are also part of the replacement debate playing out privately among donors, strategists and elected officials. All of them have been vocal Biden advocates in recent days.
Speaking ahead of a closed-door fundraiser for New Hampshire Senate Democrats, Newsom said the party’s current divisions were unhelpful and distracting.
He also brushed aside a question about whether he would seek the party’s nomination at next month’s national convention should Biden leave the race.
“I think that’s a legitimate question and I respect it, but it’s also exactly the question that Donald Trump is hoping everyone asks as he’s out on the golf course,” Newsom said. “So to me, that is not a question I’m going to respond to, because Joe Biden is our nominee, he’s our president. … And I look forward to voting for him.”
At the most vulnerable moment of his presidency, Biden has never kept Newsom so close.
Since the debate June 27, Newsom has campaigned on Biden’s behalf in Michigan, Pennsylvania and now New Hampshire, which is known both for its traditionally early primaries and as a tiny swing state in general elections with four Electoral College votes.
Earlier Monday, Newsom was featured on an all-staff Biden campaign conference call in which he insisted voters continue to care deeply about Biden despite their fears and anxiety.
Newsom and his team have been overwhelmingly deferential to Biden. In recent days, Newsom’s staff referred all questions about his travel schedule and political plans to the Biden campaign.
Within both camps, the Biden-Newsom relationship is viewed as mutually beneficial.
Newsom, 56, offers Biden credibility and excitement as one of the Democratic Party’s brightest rising stars with close ties to California’s powerful donor network. And Biden offers Newsom a platform on the biggest stage in U.S. politics to help boost his brand ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid of his own.
But there are risks, especially for Newsom.
Former New Hampshire State House Speaker Steve Shurtleff said he’s “very impressed” by Newsom and sees him as top-tier presidential prospect. But Shurtleff, once Biden’s chief supporter in the state, now believes the president must step aside and wondered aloud whether Newsom is picking the wrong side in what he described as “a profile-in-courage moment” for party leaders.
“He’s shown that he’s been very loyal to the president and the administration. And that, I think, could hurt him,” Shurtleff said of Newsom.
Overall, few New Hampshire Democratic officials have called for Biden to leave the race, but it is no secret that Biden’s relationships in the state may be strained.
It was Biden who pushed the Democratic National Committee to bypass New Hampshire earlier this year as the opening contest on the presidential primary calendar for the first time in decades.
Even before the historic shift, New Hampshire Democrats weren’t Biden’s biggest supporters.
He finished in fifth place in the state’s 2020 primary behind the likes of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, now-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Biden did, however, defeat Trump here in the general election by 7 points.
State Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley said Newsom electrified a sold-out crowd at the evening fundraiser, where the California governor touted Biden’s record.
“New Hampshire Democrats are not bedwetters,” Buckley said. “We are strong, united and determined to reelect Joe Biden.”
Still, Biden’s Democratic critics have been increasingly vocal.
“The party needs to honor and thank the president for his five decades of service, but swiftly embrace new leadership before it is too late,” said New Hampshire attorney Jay Surdukowski, who is active in Democratic politics, pointing to a “deep bench” that includes Newsom, Harris, Whitmer and Buttigieg.
He referenced Biden’s halting debate performance and his subsequent statement that he’d limit his events after 8 p.m.
“Democrats like to say President Trump is a threat to democracy,” Surdukowski said. “A president who can’t form coherent sentences and goes to bed at 8 p.m. may be the greater threat.”
There was no sign of such criticism at the rest stop off Interstate 93, where Biden’s campaign had invited a handful of local party officials to attend Newsom’s unannounced appearance.
One of the invitees, Jennifer Buck, 78, chair of the Webster town Democrats, said she likes what Newsom has done in California. But she doesn’t think he should replace Biden on the ticket.
If Biden does step aside or is “pushed out,” she said, Harris should be the party’s nominee.
In that, Newsom may agree.
The California governor predicted that the vice president would beat Trump in a hypothetical matchup when asked.
“I have no doubt about that. And that’s from someone that’s also known her longer than most, before we were both in politics,” he said. “But I don’t expect it’s going to come to that.”
___
Peoples reported from New York.
New Hampshire
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.
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?”
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.
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.
North Carolina5 minutes ago
Duarte girl kidnapped in 2020 at 5 years old found safe in North Carolina
North Dakota11 minutes ago
PHOTOS: Long Beach State vs. North Dakota State, Softball
Ohio17 minutes ago
Far fewer Ohio women could vote if top election officer gets way | Opinion
Oklahoma23 minutes ago
Christian Coleman ‘motored up’ as Oklahoma State basketball advances in Big 12 Tournament
Oregon29 minutes ago
Maryland rides big first half to 70-60 win over Oregon to open Big Ten Tournament
Florida1 year ago
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Connecticut2 years ago
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
Oregon2 years ago
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
Virginia2 years ago
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Indiana2 years ago
Indiana Members Credit Union announced as new anchor tenant at Bottleworks District
Politics4 hours ago
EXCLUSIVE: ICE says El Paso detention facility will stay open under new contractor after $1.2B deal scrapped
World5 hours ago
Von der Leyen ‘acting outside of competence,’ Araud tells Euronews
News5 hours ago
Wheelchair curler Steve Emt’s path from drunk driver to three-time Paralympian
News15 hours ago
Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City
Politics16 hours ago
Trump stirs GOP primary drama with visit to Massie’s Kentucky home turf
-
Wisconsin1 week agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Pennsylvania6 days agoPa. man found guilty of raping teen girl who he took to Mexico
-
Detroit, MI5 days agoU.S. Postal Service could run out of money within a year
-
Miami, FL6 days agoCity of Miami celebrates reopening of Flagler Street as part of beautification project
-
Sports6 days agoKeith Olbermann under fire for calling Lou Holtz a ‘scumbag’ after legendary coach’s death
-
Virginia7 days agoGiants will hold 2026 training camp in West Virginia
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on the Real Locations in These Magical and Mysterious Novels