New Hampshire

New poll: Who should win, Scott Brown or Chris Pappas? Does Ayotte deserve re-election?

Published

8 months ago

June 27, 2025

Press Room

New poll: Who should win, Scott Brown or Chris Pappas? Does Ayotte deserve re-election?

New Hampshire residents are divided on four-term representative Pappas, with 36% finding him favorable and 36% unfavorable.
But Brown is less popular than Pappas, with 38% of New Hampshire residents finding him unfavorable and just 12% finding him favorable, including just 24% of Republicans.
53% of New Hampshire residents approve of Ayotte, up from 49% in May, and 40% believe she deserves re-election.

Neither candidate in the race to replace U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH is very popular, reveals a new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released June 26.

On June 25, former Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Scott Brown announced his intent to run against U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH, in the race for New Hampshire’s open Senate seat in 2026. But a new poll shows that New Hampshire residents don’t find either candidate very favorable.

New Hampshire residents are divided on four-term Rep. Pappas, with 36% finding him favorable and 36% unfavorable. 70% of Democrats have a favorable opinion of him, but 40% of Independents and 66% of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of him.

But Brown is less popular than Pappas, with 38% of New Hampshire residents finding him unfavorable and just 12% finding him favorable, including just 24% of Republicans. 30% don’t know enough about him to say.

The poll also looked at approval for Gov. Kelly Ayotte, her re-election, and the two Congressional races in 2026. It was based on the results of 1,320 surveys completed online from June 19 to June 23, 2025, with a margin of error of 2.7%.

What is Kelly Ayotte’s approval rating? Does she deserve re-election?

Per the poll, 53% of New Hampshire residents approve of Ayotte, up from 49% in May.

Those who approve of her handling of her job most often cite her handling of education (25%), immigration (17%) or the state budget (10%).

Those who disapprove also most often cite her handling of education (32%) and the state budget (11%).

Ayotte recently passed universal Education Freedom Accounts in New Hampshire into law, and is soon to pass the new state budget.

22% say they disapprove because they because they believe she supports President Donald Trump.

New Hampshire residents are divided on whether Ayotte deserves re-election, though, with 40% saying she does and 38% saying she doesn’t. It’s split by party, with 77% of Republicans and 32% of Independents saying she deserves re-election, while 72% of Democrats and 41% of Independents say she doesn’t.

However, the other current possible contenders, Democrat Tom Sherman (the 2022 Democratic nominee for governor) and Independent Jon Kiper (who lost the Democratic primary in 2024), are both not well known in the state.

Who should replace Pappas in the House?

Since Pappas is running for Senate in 2026, his seat representing New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District is open. So far, three candidates have declared their candidacy: former Portsmouth city councilor Stefany Shaheen, former Obama administration official Maura Sullivan, and Hampton selectwoman Carleigh Beriont.

Shaheen, who is Jeanne Shaheen’s daughter, is the most well-known out of the three candidates, but 32% have an unfavorable opinion about her. 17% have a favorable opinion and 35% don’t know enough about her to say.

Both Sullivan and Beriont are largely unknown in the First Congressional District, with 59% and 80% respectively saying they don’t know enough about them to say their opinion.

Shoud Maggie Goodlander be re-elected?

First-term Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH, has announced her intention to run for re-election in 2026, where she may face off again against Lily Tang Williams, who was the Republican nominee for this seat last year.

The two have about the same level of popularity in the district. 32% of Second District residents think Goodlander should be re-elected, 38% do not and 31% don’t know or have no opinion.

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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

5 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

17 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.