Connect with us

New Hampshire

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

Published

on

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


play

  • 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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.



Source link

Advertisement

New Hampshire

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Driver seen driving across Windham, NH lawn late at night – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

Published

on

CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Driver seen driving across Windham, NH lawn late at night – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


WINDHAM, N.H. (WHDH) – Police are searching for a person seen on camera driving across a lawn in Windham, New Hampshire.

Windham police say on April 25, around midnight, a driver plowed across a lawn on Trails Edge Road in Windham.

Police say the vehicle is believed to be a late 1990s-early 2000s Chevrolet Silverado, but the color in unknown due to the video being black and white.

A next-door neighbor says their driveway was just redone one day before the incident.

Advertisement

“The boys came in the other morning. I was surprised I didn’t hear anything,” she said. “That’s not that bad but kind of scary, though. I just hope it never happens again.”

The incident is still under investigation.

(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

New Hampshire

Commission sets sights on UNESCO recognition for Mount Washington – NH Business Review

Published

on

Commission sets sights on UNESCO recognition for Mount Washington – NH Business Review


Ice coats instruments, buildings and rock fields atop Mount Washington. The peak’s extreme weather is one reason members of the Mount Washington Commission say they are seeking potential UNESCO World Heritage Site status for the peak. (Photo by Charlie Peachey, courtesy of the Mount Washington Observatory)

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Egypt’s Great Pyramids, Arizona’s Grand Canyon … and New Hampshire’s own Mount Washington?

At their April meeting, the group of institutions that steward the Northeast’s tallest mountain voted, 9-1, to take a preliminary step toward pursuing UNESCO World Heritage Site designation for the peak. The process may take years to decades, but if it is successful, Mount Washington could become the first site in New England to rank on the internationally recognized list.

Advertisement

The possibility requires unique considerations, commission members said, including the need it would create to manage increased visitation that is already straining the summit’s alpine ecosystem and infrastructure.

Mount Washington Commission Chair Rob Kirsch believes the designation would be a boon for the mountain, bringing in not only more visitors but also more funding to invest in making the peak more resilient to traffic. Kirsch said he sees the application as a chance to showcase the wonder of Mount Washington at a grander scale.

“It will lead to an improved experience for people, generally,” Kirsch said. “It will give the state something to really be proud of.”

A property must meet at least one of 10 criteria to be considered for World Heritage Site status, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Mount Washington could invoke several categories in its application, including one for sites that “contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance.”

There are many steps before Mount Washington could potentially be added to that list. The motion approved at the April 17 meeting of the Mount Washington Commission was the first: At that meeting, the commission approved pursuing “Tentative List” status for the mountain. One site is selected from that national list each year for submission to the United Nations World Heritage Committee.

Advertisement

To move ahead, the application must receive support from the federal government. The commission has engaged with federal officials, and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has been supportive of the project, commission members said.

“Mount Washington’s unique natural environment, scientific significance and rich history deserve global recognition,” Shaheen said in a statement to the Bulletin. “I am proud to support the Commission as they work to have our region’s most iconic peak designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”

From here, Kirsch said, the process may take decades. UNESCO designation typically boosts visitorship to a site, and proponents generally point to the associated regional economic boost as a benefit of the status. But the list has also been criticized as contributing to overtourism that can degrade sites or harm the communities around them. While it can boost public awareness of a place, there is no funding attached to the status itself.

The Mount Washington Commission is guided by a 2022 master plan for the mountain’s stewardship and conservation. In November 2025, the commission reviewed preliminary results from an assessment conducted as part of that plan, showing that crowds and climate change were large factors in the strain on the summit’s delicate natural environment and aging infrastructure.

With significant investment, the summit could readily accommodate significant crowds, said Kirsch, who is also an environmental lawyer, former weather observer at the Mount Washington Observatory, and a member of the observatory’s board of trustees. It’s not clear yet where the money for those investments will come from, but Kirsch said he hoped the UNESCO designation would help.

Advertisement

“You can bring as many people as you want to Mount Washington as long as you make sufficient infrastructure investment to protect the environment,” he said.

The commission is still waiting for more results from the summit’s environmental assessment, but Kirsch said the boost to visitation would not affect the environment if the commission adheres to the guidelines laid out in the Master Plan. Rather, he said, the investments he hopes designation would help secure could help prevent any danger from overcrowding and ensure the mountain’s environment is protected.

He added that the benefit of a UNESCO designation would go beyond the businesses operating on the mountain — which include the Mount Washington Auto Road and the Mount Washington Cog Railway — to boost others throughout the North Country.


This story was originally produced by the New Hampshire Bulletin, an independent local newsroom that allows NH Business Review and other outlets to republish its reporting.

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

New Hampshire

Investigation into woman’s 2007 death resolved, NH officials say

Published

on

Investigation into woman’s 2007 death resolved, NH officials say


New Hampshire authorities said Thursday that they have resolved their investigation into the death of a woman nearly 20 years ago.

On Feb. 24, 2007, 25-year-old Carrie Hicks was found dead from two gunshot wounds to the head at the Acworth home of Wayne Ring, who was found alive in the same room with a single gunshot wound to the head.

Ring died at the age of 57 on May 26, 2012.

Investigators officially determined Ring fatally shot Hicks before attempting to take his own life.

Advertisement

People who knew Hicks and Ring told authorities that they had formed a suicide “pact” and openly discussed suicide.

“Witness testimony revealed that Ms. Hicks had specifically instructed Mr. Ring to shoot her twice so she would not be left alive,” the office of Attorney General John Formella wrote in a press release.

A review of the autopsy report this year, along with a forensic reconstruction of bloodstain patterns, demonstrated that it was “medically and physically impossible” for Hicks to have fired the second shot she sustained, officials said. They added that, beyond a reasonable doubt, she could not have inflicted either injury on herself, and that Ring fatally shot Hicks before turning the gun on himself.

Formella said that if Ring were alive, there would be sufficient evidence to prosecute a first-degree murder case against him.

“We hope that the conclusion of this investigation brings a measure of clarity and peace to the loved ones of Carrie Hicks,” he said in a statement. “This resolution underscores the commitment of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit. By thoroughly re-examining the forensic evidence, witness statements, and autopsy records, our investigators have finally established the truth behind this tragic loss of life.”

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending