New Hampshire

Sorry, Boomers, Harris Is In Love With Another Generation

Published

1 year ago

September 4, 2024

NORTH HAMPTON, New Hampshire — Kamala Harris traveled to the “Live Free Or Die” state yesterday, the perfect place to deliver her message of freedom… and tax cuts for small businesses.

The New Hampshire event at women-owned Throwback Brewery in North Hampton was pulled together quickly and scheduled for the middle of a Wednesday afternoon. Still, over a thousand supporters turned up for the presidential candidate, including a large showing of younger people.

“I love Gen Z. I just love Gen Z,” said Harris later in her speech.

There were Boomers, too, including Catherine Johnson, 65, a self-described “campaign junkie” who claims she had traveled over 15,000 miles across the tiny state to attend over 200 political events in her lifetime. She recalled that in 2020, she saw then-senator Harris speak “in a lot of apple fields and farm stands.”

The Boomer men also showed, most looking like variations on Ed Begley, Jr. I stopped one Begley impersonator who was wearing a cap with the name of his country club embroidered on the brim. I asked if he was there to support Harris.

“Yep,” he said, tersely.

I mentioned a recent poll that showed that when Harris replaced Biden, women voters shifted toward her while men shifted away. I asked what he thought might explain that shift.

“Well,” he said with a perfect New England pause, “I don’t believe polls from the get go.”

A moment later, a woman (his wife?) joined him and he used the interruption as a reason to escape further questioning.

Maine State Representative Tiffany Roberts was enjoying some shaved ice when I approached. As chair of the Maine Legislature’s Innovation, Development, Economic Advancement and Business Committee, Roberts was eager to hear Harris lay out her policy.

“Trump doesn’t realize that New England has a strong tradition of small businesses: farmers, fishermen, local breweries,” she said. “It’s not like New York City. These businesses are actually for the people who live here.”

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks with supporters.

Brian Snyder/Reuters

Roberts touted a new agreement between New England states that allowed credentialed workers to be accredited by other states with the same requirements. “If you’re a social worker or electrician in Massachusetts, you can become (snaps her fingers) a social worker or electrician in Maine,” she said.

The New Hampshire congressional delegation kicked off the show at Wednesday’s rally. U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas spoke first, ushered in with the song, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” which suited the venue.

Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen followed. Hassan referred to Trump’s proposals to raise tariffs as “a sales tax” and “a backwards idea from a backwards candidate.” Then she added, “We are not going back!,” knowing that the crowd from a state with no sales tax would pick up the chant.

Shaheen piled on, saying Trump had “the worst job record since Herbert Hoover.” (She did not explain that Hoover was the president during the Depression so her point may not have landed with the proper impact for the younger crowd.)

After Shaheen, there was a pause in the speakers. The temperature flirted with 80 degrees and campaign staffers handed out Gatorade while the brewery sold drinks with cutesy names like “Kamala Femininomenon” (lemonade) and “Coach” (unsweetened ice tea.)

“Hydrate,” Dover-based DJ Mam told the crowd. “And then make a plan to vote.”

Throwback Brewery in North Hampton sold campaign-themed drinks during Wednesday’s rally.

Right on schedule, Harris took the stage to Beyoncé’s anthem “Freedom.” The vice president greeted the crowd with a big smile. Someone in the crowd must have mentioned her husband, prompting her to announce, “Doug sends his love to everyone as well.”

Then the tone changed. Harris had come to talk about freedom, but after a morning of tragedy, she was forced to stand outside the women’s-owned Throwback Brewery in North Hampton and talk about gun regulations.

Earlier in the day, a 14-year old student in Georgia had slaughtered two students and two teachers while leaving dozens more injured. So before Harris could talk about small businesses, she had to address the dead elephant in the room.

Harris spoke of the “senseless tragedy.” She recalled that as a child in California, her school had earthquake drills and fire drills and how wrong it is that today’s K through 12 students are subjected to active shooter drills.

“It does not have to be this way,” she repeated several times.

Later in the speech, Harris clarified her position for the firearm-friendly New Hampshire crowd. “It is a false choice to say you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or you want to take everyone’s guns away,” Harris said. “I’m in favor of the Second Amendment and I know we need reasonable gun safety laws in our country.”

Turning to the economy, Harris offered a list of proposals, including a tax deduction of up to $50,000 for startups, low-interest or no-interest loans, and reducing red tape to make it easier for small businesses to file taxes. She boasted about how the Biden administration had seen over 17 million applications for new businesses since taking office. Then she set a goal of seeing 25 million new applications by the end of her first term. She admitted that was “ambitious,” but, “I think we should admire ambition in each other.”

Vice President Kamala Harris approaches the stage at a rally in New Hampshire Wednesday, where over a thousand supporters turned up for the presidential candidate, including a large showing of younger people.

The crowd cheered loudly. They also cheered loudly when Harris called for a “fair tax” on billionaires. (According to Forbes magazine, New Hampshire only has one billionaire: Rick Cohen.)

Still, nothing received bigger approval from the group than when Harris brought up protecting a woman’s right to determine her own health care. The Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe is clearly the accelerant to Harris catching political fire. And it’s not just affecting women.

“I think people are underestimating the male vote on the issue of choice,” Johnson, 65, told the Daily Beast. “They don’t want their sisters, wives, and daughters being told what to do with their bodies.”

Johnson plans to vote for Harris for President and Republican Kelly Ayotte for governor. She suspects mainly will follow that same path and keep New Hampshire purple.

On the drive along Exeter Road, houses seemed to alternate between Trump and Harris signs. One block had two small houses that flanked a long driveway to a mansion. The two small homes had Harris/Walz signs. The people who lived up the long driveway were going with Trump.

Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris applauds as she attends a campaign stop in North Hampton, New Hampshire.

A group of Trump supporters—seven people and one dog—had gathered by the driveway that led to the brewery at noon as people filed in for the Harris speech. The group waved Trump flags and “Take America Back” banners. One had a sign that read: “Krazy Kommie Kamala. Another woman kept shouting into a megaphone, “Kamala, go home!”

The Trump contingent was gone by the time people filed out at four. I guess they went home.

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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

4 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

16 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.