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Gov. Ron DeSantis was already struggling in New Hampshire before the state’s Governor reportedly decided to endorse rival Nikki Haley.
As first reported by WMUR, Chris Sununu is poised to endorse the former South Carolina Governor.
Comment wasn’t immediately available from the DeSantis campaign. But the Sununu decision is clearly disappointing, as it’s an endorsement the Florida Governor seemed to believe was in play, despite clear qualms expressed over months by the Granite State’s chief executive.
During a podcast interview with Tara Palmeri, Sununu said the Florida Governor has had a “significant slide” in the Granite State.
“Ron’s campaign is Ron’s campaign, and obviously, he took a pretty significant slide,” Sununu said late last month, referring to the Floridian’s plummet in the polls.
“He’s been spending a lot of time in Iowa. So that’s why he’s doing, I think, well, better in Iowa and not quite as well in New Hampshire, but he’s still got a game here, to be sure. He’s still coming, but not quite as much, and he’s putting a lot of his chips into Iowa, and there’s reason for that, and that’s understandable to a certain extent,” Sununu added. “You have to play in both states if you’re going to do well.”
During the same interview, Sununu further quibbled about DeSantis’ Iowa strategy, saying that the state’s Governor, Kim Reynolds, may have endorsed the Florida Governor too early. In retrospect, that might have been foreshadowing.
“Her timing of her endorsement was a little bit odd because it was a short week. It was the day before an election that was going to grab all the headlines. It was 10 days before the government was potentially going to shut down that way. It was just odd.”
During an early November appearance on the Guy Benson Show, Sununu was effusive about Haley as a “fighter,” saying more positive things about her than about DeSantis.
Ahead of that interview, Sununu told reporter Dylan Wells there was “no doubt” Haley, who he accompanied during a campaign swing, has pushed ahead of DeSantis in the Granite State.
“People in New Hampshire pay attention to the debate, they see what’s happening on the ground. That’s clearly why her numbers have soared, so we’ll see if they can keep up the momentum.”
Last month, when DeSantis was in New Hampshire, Sununu squired him around the state, but stopped well short of an endorsement.
“The race is actually wide open. I think there’s three or four candidates that are clearly surging ahead. There’s six or seven, I don’t even know how many we’re counting at this point in the race,” Sununu told Stephanie Murray of The Messenger.
DeSantis openly courted Sununu’s endorsement, saying in August on “The Pulse of New Hampshire” that he thinks Sununu “has done a great job,” believes “New Hampshire is the best-governed state in New England, and “reject(s) Donald Trump’s attacks” on Sununu.
Yet the Florida Governor’s failure to get traction made those efforts moot.
According to the Race to the White House polling average, DeSantis’ 8% is good for fourth place, behind Trump, Haley and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. And one key poll is even worse.
Last month’s Washington Post-Monmouth survey of New Hampshire GOP Primary voters found the Florida Governor had fallen to fifth place in the Granite State.
With 7% support, the Florida Governor finds himself behind Trump (46%), Haley (18%), Christie (11%) and Vivek Ramaswamy (8%).
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A Massachusetts couple is facing charges after investigators say they illegally voted in a trio of elections in New Hampshire in recent years.
A Merrimack County grand jury returned six indictments this week charging both Joshua Urovitch, 56, and Lisa Urovitch, 54, with three felony counts of wrongful voting, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella.
Formella said the indictments allege that the Urovitches voted multiple times in Concord, New Hampshire, despite living in Ashland, Massachusetts.
The Urovitches are accused of illegally voting in general elections in November 2020 and November 2022, as well as a Concord School District Election in November 2022.
An arraignment date for the Urovitches is set for Oct. 7 in Merrimack County Superior Court.
There were no additional details available.
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Crime
Campus police at the University of New Hampshire are investigating two recent sexual assault cases, the department said in a statement.
The first alleged incident, a sexual assault, happened between Sept. 20 at 10:30 p.m. and Sept. 21 at 3 a.m. in the suspect’s dorm building on campus, the statement said. Police said the victim believes the suspect may have drugged their drink. The victim and the suspect were known to each other, police said.
The second reported incident happened Sept. 19, police said. Another victim said the same suspect may have drugged them as well, the report said. Police did not say if the second victim was assaulted.
University Police said Wednesday that they had identified a person of interest in the case, but will not share any further information “to protect the integrity of the investigation” and protect those impacted by the incidents.
“Survivors are never responsible for the offenders’ behavior,” the statement said.
While the investigation is underway, UNH police reminded students to stay safe, trust their instincts, call a safety escort on campus, and utilize campus resources if necessary.
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A New Hampshire mother on Thursday pleaded guilty to murder in the 2021 death of her five-year-old son, Elijah Lewis.
Danielle Dauphinais of Merrimack appeared in Hillsborough County Superior Court on Thursday morning, shackled and wearing an orange jumpsuit. She pleaded guilty to second degree murder and two counts witness tampering in the death of her young son.
“Elijah was assaulted, starved, isolated, and neglected. He was tortured,” a prosecutor said.
The state said Elijah died between Sept. 21, 2021 and Sept. 24, 2021.
The boy was found face down in the fetal position in a shallow hole at Ames Nowell State Park in Abington.
According to prosecutors, had this case gone to trial, Dr. Richard Atkinson, who was at the burial site and conducted Elijah’s autopsy, would have said, “Elijah died as a result of violence and neglect including facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment, and pressure ulcers.”
“I am sick to my stomach and I can’t believe what I heard today. That’s not the person I knew,” MJ Morrison, Elijah’s aunt, said after Thursday’s court hearing.
Dauphinais was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges in connection with her son’s death in April 2022. Dauphinais and her boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, were originally charged with witness tampering and child endangerment. Both remain in prison.
Prosecutors said Thursday that the investigation into Elijah’s whereabouts began after Dauphinais gave birth to a baby boy and Stapf dropped the child off at Catholic Medical Center in Manchester.
The Division of Children, Youth, and Families began questioning Dauphinais about where Elijah was.
Prosecutors said she told them “Elijah was gone” and then said he was living with her sister Tracy in California. Her sister later told the social worker and investigators that Dauphinais asked her to lie and say Elijah was with her in California, but she refused.
According to cell phone records, Dauphinais was confronted again by DCYF workers, at which point she told them she sent Elijah to her brother’s house in Texas.
Her brother, Bruce, told DCYF workers he had custody of Elijah since September, not knowing it was more than a wellness check, but couldn’t provide any information on him like where he went to school. He was told to call them back but never did.
DCYF then went to Merrimack Police to report Elijah as missing.
Text messages between Dauphinais and Stapf revealed she was depriving the child of nourishment, prosecutors said in court.
“I gave him a small bowl of cereal so he would shut the **** up. But that wasn’t enough. He said he wants food and wants me to stop starving him because it’s not nice,” read one message.
“I’m gonna kill this kid joe, ****ing screaming at the top of his lungs ****ing water,” said another from Dauphinais to Stapf.
Prosecutors outlined how and when the couple buried Elijah.
Merrimack Police tracked the couple’s cell phones, finding that the pair traveled through Boston to Abington, 14 hours after investigators started asking questions.
Prosecutors said Stapf buried Elijah’s body and put a white birch tree over his grave. Then, the couple drove to Mohegan Sun, had a bite to eat, went to a country music concert and boarded a bus to New York City.
The two were arrested at a subway station in the Bronx.
Cristee Chasse went to the courthouse on Thursday wearing a shirt that read, ‘Justice for Elijah.’
“Absolutely disgusting, disgusting. And that could have been prevented. A lot of this, according to what happened today and what I heard, happened after the fact, that he went to the doctors and bruising was seen,” said Chasse.
Prosecutors also said that Elijah weighed 32 pounds at his last and only doctor’s visit with his mother, and weighed 19 pounds when his body was found in the state park.
“I’m just hoping she gets the absolute maximum. That’s what Elijah deserves,” added Morrison.
Dauphinais is expected to be sentenced on Oct. 25.
She could face between 58 years to life in prison.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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