Granite State also to restrict access to female athletic competitions in certain grades to only biological girls.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed into law a bill that restricts sex-change surgeries on minors, along with a bill that restricts access to female athletic competitions in certain grades to only biological girls. 

“As the debate over [these bills] has played out in Concord and throughout the state, charged political statements have muddled the conversation and distracted from the two primary factors that any parent must consider: safety and fairness for their children,” Sununu said in a statement. 

“These two factors have been my primary consideration in reviewing these bills,” the governor added.

Sununu vetoed a third bill related to transgender policies. 

The vetoed legislation would have ended the state’s anti-discrimination protections for people who identify as transgender. This would have permitted public and private entities to restrict bathroom and locker room access based on biological sex rather than self-asserted gender identity.

House Bill 619, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2025, prohibits doctors from performing “genital gender-reassignment surgery” on anyone under the age of 18.

This includes a ban on internal and external gender transition surgeries. For boys, this ban includes removal of genitals and surgical interventions to make the genitals appear similar to a female. For girls, this ban includes the removal of ovaries or other surgeries that alter the genitals and make the genitals appear similar to a male.

“This bill focuses on protecting the health and safety of New Hampshire’s children and has earned bipartisan support,” Sununu said. “There is a reason that countries across the world — from Sweden to Norway, France and the United Kingdom — have taken steps to pause these procedures and policies.”

However, New Hampshire’s restrictions do not go as far as many other Republican states. The law still allows other transgender surgeries, such as the removal of healthy breasts in girls and the addition of prosthetic breasts in boys to facilitate a sex change. The state will also continue to allow doctors to prescribe puberty-blocking drugs and hormone therapy to facilitate a sex change in minors.

The ban on genital surgery is enforced through licensing agencies. Minors or parents will also be permitted to sue doctors who perform banned surgery on minors. 

House Bill 1205 ensures that only biological girls will be allowed to participate in female sports competitions in grades 5 through 12. The legislation does not affect lower grades or college sports.

The legislation requires that sports competitions for those grades be classified as either “male,” “female” or “coed.” Only biological males can participate in “male” competitions, only biological females can participate in “female” competitions, and both can participate in “coed” competitions.

Per the legislation, a biological male who identifies as transgender could not participate in a sports competition reserved for girls.

“[This legislation] ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions,” Sununu said. “With this widely supported step, New Hampshire joins nearly half of all U.S. states in taking this measure.”

Any student who is deprived of an athletic opportunity based on a violation of the law or who faces retaliation for reporting a violation will be allowed to sue the school for damages.

This bill goes into effect 30 days following the governor’s signature.

WASHINGTON – Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to the Democratic nomination cleared Monday as she secured endorsements from potential rivals and other high-profile party members the day after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid.

A swarm of Democratic legislative leaders, governors ­– including some thought to harbor presidential ambitions of their own – and influential unions as well as key outside groups endorsed her within 24 hours of Biden’s unscheduled Sunday afternoon announcement, while no serious challenger emerged.

In Harris’ first public appearance since Biden’s announcement and endorsement of her, the vice president met with college sports champions at the White House. She opened her brief remarks with a tribute to Biden, who, while recovering from COVID-19, was “feeling much better” Monday, she said.

“Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” she said. “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office.”

Harris was also scheduled to travel to the campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, late Monday to meet with campaign staff, according to the White House.

Several key Democrats had not publicly backed her by Monday afternoon. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, and former President Barack Obama had not offered endorsements.

Jeffries told reporters that he and Schumer were planning to meet with Harris “shortly.” While Jeffries did not endorse Harris, he said she has “excited the House Democratic Caucus and she’s exciting the country.”

Congressional Dems line up behind Harris

But endorsements rolled in from Capitol Hill.

Top congressional Democrats like the No. 2 Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and the No. 2 House Democrat, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, also early Monday gave Harris their support.

And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said in a statement that she supported Harris and noted her work advocating for reproductive rights – a topic that Democrats have centered various campaigns on following the end of Roe v. Wade.

“Politically, make no mistake,” Pelosi said. “Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute – and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”

The chair of the campaign arm for House Democrats, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, also gave her support to Harris.

Harris has also earned the backing of all the House Democratic leaders of influential congressional caucuses.

That includes Reps. Steven Horsford of Nevada of the Congressional Black Caucus, Nanette Barragán of California of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Pramila Jayapal of Washington of the Progressive Caucus, and Judy Chu of California of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Obama holds off

Obama did not yet endorse Harris but in a lengthy statement Sunday said he has “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

Similarly, in 2020 the former two-term president waited until Biden was formally nominated by the Democratic National Committee before he gave an endorsement.

The DNC will move forward with the process to formally nominate a presidential candidate Wednesday when its Rules Committee meets in a public virtual session amid ongoing efforts to set up a virtual roll call vote ahead of the convention next month in Chicago.

No serious challenger to Harris’ nomination had emerged by Monday afternoon, as independent Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia said in a morning MSNBC interview he would not seek the Democratic nomination.

Governors endorse Harris

Following Biden’s endorsement of Harris, several Democratic governors have also offered their support for the vice president, including the governors speculated to be among Harris’ choices for a running mate and would-be rivals for the nomination.

Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Wes Moore of Maryland, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois all offered their endorsements in the day since Biden withdrew from the race.

Beshear announced his support for Harris in a television interview Monday morning. He wouldn’t say if he’d like to join Harris’ ticket, but said in a statement on X that the vice president will “bring our country together and move us past the anger politics we’ve seen in recent years.”

Other governors around the country also offered their support, including Jared Polis of Colorado, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Janet Mills of Maine, Jay Inslee of Washington, and Maura Healey of Massachusetts.

Governors from Oregon and Rhode Island, both Democrats, have yet to voice their support for Harris. Both thanked Biden for his service as president on X.

State parties planning next moves

Several state parties endorsed Harris or indicated they would support her.

North Carolina Democrats voted to endorse a ticket of Harris and Cooper, their term-limited governor, NC Newsline reported.

At Beshear’s request, Kentucky Democrats voted “overwhelmingly” to back Harris, the Kentucky Lantern reported.

New Hampshire’s state party coalesced behind Harris at a Sunday evening meeting, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin.

Maine Democrats were scheduled to meet Monday night and are likely to consider a proposal to switch the party’s support from Biden to Harris, the Maine Morning Star said.

Advocacy groups

Several influential Democrat-aligned organizations announced their support for Harris.

Emily’s List, which works to elect Democratic women who favor abortion rights, tweeted its endorsement Sunday.

LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign also backed Harris, noting her early support for marriage equality and other work on LGBTQ issues.

UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights group, also endorsed Harris.

Gen-Z for Change, formerly called TikTok for Biden, had withheld an endorsement of the president over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war in which more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed. But quickly following the announcement from Biden to step out of the race, the organization gave an endorsement to Harris.

The political action committees of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus also backed Harris.

Several unions jump in

Harris has also garnered the backing of several labor unions in the day since announcing her bid for office. The Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million service workers including health care and property and public services, announced its endorsement for Harris Sunday.

In a written statement, SEIU President April Verrett said “SEIU is ALL IN” for Harris and that the vice president “has made sure to use every lever of government to do everything possible to make things better for working people.”

The American Federation of Teachers unanimously endorsed Harris Sunday. AFT represents 1.7 million education professionals across the country, ranging from teachers and paraprofessionals to school health care workers and higher education faculty.

The United Farm Workers also quickly switched its support from Biden to Harris on Sunday afternoon. The union said it “could not be prouder to endorse her for President of the United States,” in a written statement, citing her support of farm workers during her time as an attorney general and senator in California.

SEIU, AFT, and UFW all endorsed Biden for president in 2020 and this year prior to his withdrawal from the race.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has not endorsed in the presidential race, but invited Harris to a roundtable with rank-and-file members. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien addressed the Republican National Convention last week. The union endorsed Biden in 2020 but had not voiced its support for his reelection this year.

Notably, the UAW has not announced an endorsement for Harris. Biden walked the picket line in Michigan during the historic autoworker protests last September. The UAW thanked Biden for his service in a statement Sunday.

It’s been a decade since a Democrat was elected governor in New Hampshire. In less than two months, Democratic voters will head to the polls to select a nominee who hopes to break that drought. The party’s primary ballot includes two candidates who share similar policy positions and point to their political resumes as proof of their ability to lead, while a third candidate is touting his outsider record.

The candidate who began this campaign with the longest political resume is Joyce Craig, who served on the Manchester school board and board of aldermen, before winning three terms as mayor, making her the first woman to hold the seat. For years, that positioned Craig as a potential candidate for the governor’s office, and something she frames on the campaign trail as a strength.

“The work that I have done has made a positive impact – not only of residents in Manchester, but throughout our state,” Craig told reporters after formally filing her candidacy. “And as the mayor of Manchester, I have first hand experience of the challenges that our hard working families are facing throughout our state.”

That theme — that she’s an executive ready to lead — is also making its way into her ads.

But leading the state’s biggest city is something of a mixed political bag for the 57-year old Craig. Voters replaced her with a Republican last year, and the Queen City’s downtown is largely perceived as struggling with homelessness and the opioid crisis.

At a recent Democratic Party phone banking event on behalf of President Biden, though, Dottie Fannon, a Manchester resident, gave Craig high marks for her time leading the city.

“I know she did a good job as mayor of Manchester, so I’m looking to vote for Joyce,” said Fannon.

Craig’s main competitor in the Democratic primary is Cinde Warmington of Concord, a 66-year old lawyer with deep ties to the New Hampshire Democratic Party, now serving in her second term on the state’s Executive Council.

Gov. Chris Sununu and Warmington now sit at the same table during the council’s public meetings and as the lone Democratic, the setting allows Warmington to go “toe-to-toe” with the Republican governor, she says.

Warmington has sparred with Sununu about his decision to use taxpayer money to send New Hampshire National Guard troops to the southern border, and she frequently has tense exchanges with Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut.

The council approves contracts, judges and appointments to top state jobs — it doesn’t make laws — but as Warmington sees it, it’s a place to advocate for her preferred policies.

“Standing up for everything that is important to us: reproductive freedom, public schools, the environment, affordable housing, you name it,” Warmington said during an interview.

Marge Gruzen of Exeter, who was also at the Biden phone banking event, says she’s impressed by what she’s seen of Warmington, but still doesn’t know who she’ll vote for.

“I’ve heard Warmington speak. I haven’t been in a situation where I’ve heard Joyce Craig speak. I just want to hear her so I can compare,” she said.

Voters like Gruzen will likely make their decisions based on performance and pedigree, and not policy issues, as there isn’t much obvious difference between Craig and Warmington. Both are leading with their support for abortion rights and affordable housing.

But there is an emerging difference in the way the candidates are willing to interact in the public sphere.

An NHPR reporter was recently invited to attend an interfaith event put on by the Granite State Organizing Project, but before the forum began, was asked by Craig’s campaign staff to leave the church basement.

“It’s weird to run for office and not want to have any press, or have anybody hear what your ideas are in the public,” Pastor John Hopkins, one of the hosts, said of the campaign’s request.

One question Warmington has had to face in public is about her past work as a State House lobbyist for Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. In 2002 while testifying before lawmakers, Warmington called the highly addictive opioid a “medical breakthrough” and a “miracle drug for many patients.” Critics said that lobbying work disqualifies herfrom running to lead the state.

Warmington, for her part, calls criticism of her past work for Purdue misguided and outdated.

“It was 22 years ago, long before the lies of Purdue were known,” she said.

The third candidate in the race, Jon Kiper, is the owner of Jonny Boston’s International, a burger spot in Newmarket. Kiper, 41, doesn’t have the political profile of his two competitors, and proudly so.

“That right there is going to set me apart,” he previously told reporters. “People are tired of career politicians. They’re tired of voting for lobbyists and landlords and lawyers. And frankly, people trust me because I’m a working class person.”

All three candidates will spend the next two months hustling to get their message out, convincing party faithful they’re the best one to take on the Republicans.