New Hampshire

Maura Sullivan becomes first candidate to join NH US House race to replace Chris Pappas

Published

11 months ago

April 10, 2025

Maura Sullivan becomes first candidate to join NH US House race to replace Chris Pappas

Maura Sullivan announced her candidacy for New Hampshire’s First District in the U.S. House on Thursday, becoming the first person to enter the 2026 race after current Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH, announced his run for U.S. Senate.

Sullivan is a Marine Corps Iraq war veteran and former Obama administration official, serving in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. She has run for this seat before, finishing second to Pappas in a crowded 2018 Democratic primary.

Sullivan said she made the decision after consulting with friends, neighbors and members of the community.

“I am stepping up to serve because the issues we are facing aren’t Democrat or Republican issues, they’re American issues,” Sullivan said in a statement. “The First Congressional District needs a member of Congress who will help usher in a new generation of leadership focused on lowering costs, investing in economic innovation, and helping to create a sense of security and stability.”

In her announcement video, Sullivan called out President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

“I saw too many of my fellow Marines give their lives for this country to just sit by and watch Donald Trump and Elon Musk tear it down,” she said. “They’re driving up costs for New Hampshire families … making it even more difficult to own a home and pay the bills.”

Sullivan lives on the Seacoast of New Hampshire with her husband and three kids.

Who else is running for Congress?

On the Democratic side, Dr. Tom Sherman, the Democratic nominee for governor in 2022, told Seacoastonline Friday he is considering a run.

“They need to have the voices of physicians and providers in Congress to be able to stand up and say, ‘No, this is wrong and you’re going to hurt people if you’re going to do this,’” he said.

Other Democratic leaders in Portsmouth, like Mayor Deaglan McEachern, Assistant Mayor Joanna Kelley, and state Sen. Rebecca Perkins. Kwoka, have also been speculated about as potential candidates. However, none are committed to running.

For the Republicans, Novel Iron Works CEO Hollie Noveletsky said she will make a decision about running in the coming months.

“I will make my decision in the coming months as I evaluate the opportunity,” Noveletsky said in a statement Friday. “In the end, it’s vital that we have new leadership in the 1st Congressional District, and I am dedicated to making that happen.”

Noveletsky ran for this seat last fall, where she finished second in the primary to former NH executive counselor Russell Prescott.

Manchester at-large Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur told WMUR this week that he’ll decide whether he’ll run for the seat at the start of 2026, but said that the next Republican nominee should be a candidate from the Manchester area. Levasseur also ran last fall, finishing third behind Noveletsky as a “Trump or bust” candidate.

What about Chris Pappas?

Pappas, who has represented New Hampshire’s First Congressional District since 2018, announced his bid for the U.S. Senate last week. He is running to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen.

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New Hampshire

N.H. woman accused of civil rights violation after allegedly shooting at lost man because he was Black

Published

8 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

N.H. woman accused of civil rights violation after allegedly shooting at lost man because he was Black

Local News

Diane Durgin, 67, is accused of shooting at a Black man who inadvertently drove to her property after a prearranged truck part sale, prosecutors said.

A New Hampshire woman is accused of violating the state’s Civil Rights Act four times after she allegedly shot at a man because he was Black, prosecutors said.

Diane Durgin, 67, of Weare, N.H. could face up to a $5,000 fine for each violation she is found to have committed, the office of New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a press release Tuesday.

Durgin is also charged with criminal threatening against a person with a deadly weapon and attempted first degree assault with a deadly weapon, Michael Garrity, a media representative for the New Hampshire Attorney General, said in an emailed statement to Boston.com.

Durgin had a final pre-trial conference last week, Garrity said.

In a civil complaint filed Tuesday, Durgin is accused of threatening physical force against the victim, the AG said. Prosecutors asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction barring Durgin from repeating her alleged behavior and from contacting the victim and his family.

During the morning hours of Oct. 20, 2024, the victim claims, he “mistakenly” drove to Durgin’s home after a prearranged purchase of a truck part with a seller online, prosecutors wrote as part of their request for an injunction.

When the man — whom prosecutors identified in court documents as X.G. — arrived, Durgin allegedly stepped out of her home and approached his car with a gun “holstered by her waist,” prosecutors wrote.

Upon noticing that X.G. was Black, Durgin allegedly “removed her gun and pointed it at X.G.,” prosecutors said in the injunction request.

While X.G. explained that he was lost, Durgin called the victim a “Black mother[expletive],” and threatened to “kill him,” prosecutors allege.

As the victim attempted to drive away, Durgin allegedly took her gun and fired two shots at the fleeing man’s car, missing both times, the AG’s office said.

While on the phone with a dispatcher, Durgin allegedly said she shot the man’s car because the victim is Black, the AG said.

“The guy is Black. And he, he…he says he’s meeting someone here and I think he’s coming here to steal,” Durgin allegedly said.

Police located X.G. and brought him to the Weare Police Department, stopping along the way at the correct seller’s home to complete the truck part purchase, prosecutors wrote in court documents.

To prove a violation of the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act, the AG must show that Durgin “interfered or attempted to interfere with the rights of the victim to engage in lawful activities by threatening to engage in or actually engage in physical force or violence, when such actual or threatening conduct was motivated by race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability,” prosecutors said.

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New Hampshire

Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast

Published

20 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Up to 4 inches of snow expected in NH tonight. See latest forecast

It may be March, but winter in New Hampshire is far from over. Just one week after a blizzard tore through the state with heavy snow and high winds, the state is getting another round of snowfall.

The state will get three to five inches during the evening and night of Tuesday, March 3, says the National Weather Service (NWS) of Gray, Maine. While the accumulation will not be significant, the snowfall may cause dangerous road conditions and a layer of ice on the ground in certain parts of the state.

Here’s what to know before tonight’s snow in New Hampshire, including snow totals and timing.

When will it snow in NH tonight?

According to the NWS, it will start snowing in New Hampshire during mid-afternoon or early evening and continue through the night. Specifically, snow will arrive to the southern part of the state around 2-3 p.m., spreading northwards through the rest of New Hampshire by 5 p.m.

Rain or freezing rain will mix in later this evening across southern New Hampshire, creating a wintry mix. All precipitation should move out of the state by midnight.

Due to the timing of today’s snowfall, the Tuesday evening commute will be affected, with the NWS warning to slow down and exercise caution while driving.

How much snow will NH get tonight?

New Hampshire will get one to four inches of snow tonight, with one to two inches in northern New Hampshire, two to three inches in southern New Hampshire and three to four inches in the center of the state, with the possibility for five inches in localized areas.

In the Seacoast specifically, Portsmouth, Rye, Hampton and York are expected to get between two to three inches of snow, while Dover, Exeter and Rochester may get up to four.

The wintry mix may also cause a light glaze of ice across southern New Hampshire.

NH weather watches and warnings

The NWS has issued a winter weather advisory for the state of New Hampshire, in effect from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 through 4 a.m. on Wednesday, March 4.