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CONCORD, N.H. – Kelly Ayotte’s national profile is once again on the rise after a convincing gubernatorial election victory last week in New Hampshire, where she vows to be the “champion” for her constituents and will work with the incoming Trump administration on key issues.
“I see one role for me and that is every day, to wake up and to be the champion for the people of New Hampshire,” the governor-elect said in a Fox News Digital interview at her transition office this week in the state’s capital city.
And Ayotte, who last week defeated Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former Manchester, New Hampshire mayor Joyce Craig by an unexpected nearly 10-point margin, emphasized that she plans “to focus on the economic issues, education, mental health, and housing,” when she is inaugurated in early January.
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Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican gubernatorial nominee in New Hampshire, celebrates her Election Night victory for governor, on Nov. 5, 2024 (Kelly Ayotte campaign)
When it comes to former and future President Trump, Ayotte said “I look forward to working with the Trump administration on behalf of the people of New Hampshire, whether its roads, whether its bridges, whether its areas where we can strengthen our public safety. I think there are so many opportunities where we should be working together, and I’m going to advocate for the people of this state.”
Ayotte, a former state attorney general, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 and was a rising star in the GOP and regarded as a leader on national security and foreign policy.
But Ayotte lost re-election in 2016 by a razor-thin margin of just over 1,000 votes at the hands of then-Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan.
“It was a privilege to represent New Hampshire in the United States Senate, but I’ve been elected governor of the state of New Hampshire and everyday I’m just going to wake up and say ‘what can I do for New Hampshire today,’” Ayotte said when asked about any emerging new role as a leader in the GOP.
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Ayotte launched her gubernatorial bid last year after popular Republican Gov. Chris Sununu announced that he wouldn’t seek re-election in 2024.
Sununu, a well-known figure in national politics, endorsed Ayotte in early August ahead of her easy victory in September’s GOP gubernatorial primary.
The governor often joined Ayotte on the campaign trail in the late summer and autumn, and Ayotte highlighted that she planned to continue the Sununu agenda.
Gov-elect Kelly Ayotte (left) and Gov. Chris Sununu (right) meet in the New Hampshire governor’s office, in the Statehouse in Concord, N.H., on Nov. 7, 2024 (Office of New Hampshire governor)
“I think Gov. Sununu has done an excellent job for the state of New Hampshire. We’re leading the nation in so many metrics,” she told Fox News.
But she added that “the thing that I love most about Gov. Sununu is the passion, the positive enthusiasm that he brings for this state. He loves this state. He’s so proud of New Hampshire. And I’m going to bring that same attitude as governor, really being a champion for the people of New Hampshire.”
“Obviously, we are different people, but I share his philosophy on the economic prosperity of the state and the emphasis on personal and economic freedom,” Ayotte emphasized.
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Ayotte said her years serving in Washington will come in handy as she takes over in the Granite State’s governor’s office.
Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican candidate for governor, is surrounded by supporters as she files her candidacy at the Secretary of State’s office, on June 13, 2024, in Concord, N.H. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
“Having the experience of having served in Washington, I certainly will fight hard for New Hampshire when it comes to interacting with the Trump administration,” she said. “Those federal dollars – making sure that they come to New Hampshire. But also, when Washington does things on the regulatory front, I want to make sure that New Hampshire’s voice is at that table.”
Ayotte famously broke with then-GOP presidential nominee Trump just ahead of the 2016 election. She withdrew her support for Trump over the “Access Hollywood” controversy, in which Trump, in a years-old video, made extremely crude comments about grabbing women without their consent.
“I cannot and will not support a candidate for president who brags about degrading and assaulting women,” Ayotte said at the time.
While they both lost in New Hampshire, Ayotte slightly outperformed Trump in the state as Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton edged the White House winner by less than 3,000 votes.
Before heading back full time to New Hampshire, Ayotte stuck around Washington briefly after the end of her term, shepherding then-Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch (Trump’s first high court nominee) through his successful Senate confirmation process.
As she ran for governor the past two years in a state where New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation presidential primary repeatedly drew Trump and other GOP White House hopefuls, Ayotte kept her distance from the national political conversation.
She stayed neutral in New Hampshire’s presidential primary, but did endorse Trump after he locked up the nomination. She didn’t appear with Trump’s running mate – now Vice President-elect JD Vance – when the senator from Ohio made a last-minute stop in the Granite State a couple of days before Election Day.
But Ayotte told Fox News “I want to congratulate President Trump, obviously, on a very strong victory on Election Day.”
Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election night celebration at the Palm Beach Convention Center on November 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Asked about some of the president-elect’s controversial Cabinet nomination announcements this week, Ayotte said that “it’s important that he’s putting together a team that works for him.”
But the former senator emphasized that “this is really a decision for the United States Senate. They have an important role when it comes to advise and consent. I’m sure they’ll look carefully at President Trump’s nominees and make sure that they believe that they’re qualified.”
Ayotte, in the GOP gubernatorial primary, easily defeated former New Hampshire Senate president Chuck Morse, who touted his support for Trump and questioned Ayotte’s loyalty to the former president. Morse’s hope that he would land a Trump endorsement never materialized, as the former president stayed neutral.
Also helping Ayotte as she ran for governor – a helping hand from the Republican Governors Association, which dished out nearly $21 million in support of Ayotte. Most of the funding came in the final two months of the race, but the RGA did make a $2.75 million pre-primary investment.
The RGA – unlike the rival Democratic Governors Association – sent their resources directly to the Ayotte campaign from the start of their involvement in the race, rather than taking the traditional route of putting their funding in an independent expenditure committee.
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The New Hampshire man accused of opening fire inside a country club last year, killing one person, reportedly confessed to the shooting, telling investigators he aimed to kill the rich.
Hunter West Nadeau, 24, told police he carried out the shooting at a steakhouse located at the Sky Meadow Club in Nashua in an effort to retaliate against the rich because “they were not helping the poor,” according to a police affidavit obtained by The Boston Globe.
The affidavit reportedly pointed to surveillance video showing Nadeau entering the club’s main entrance around 7:17 p.m. Sept. 20, wearing a black hoodie and carrying a green backpack.
Nadeau then allegedly walked to Prime steakhouse, put on a face mask and brandished a gun, firing five shots at employee Steve Burtman, according to the affidavit.
Hunter Nadeau, 24, a former employee of the Sky Meadow Club, was charged with second-degree murder in Robert Steven DeCesare’s killing. (New Hampshire Attorney General)
Burtman, who was reportedly stationed at the front desk, was struck in the face, the outlet reported. He survived his injuries.
Surveillance footage then reportedly shows Nadeau entering the restaurant and firing five more shots toward numerous patrons.
Nadeau allegedly struck and killed 59-year-old Robert Steven DeCesare, who was dining with his wife and daughter. A third patron was also injured as he allegedly fired multiple shots toward a group of individuals.
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Ambulances are parked outside a hotel acting as a reunification center after a shooting at a country club in Nashua, N.H., Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)
Nadeau then “continued to shoot until he was attacked by other patrons in the restaurant, and he retreated back through the doors of the steakhouse,” the affidavit said.
A witness previously told The Associated Press Nadeau allegedly yelled “Free Palestine” as the chaos was unfolding.
Police subsequently located Nadeau on the club’s golf course, where he “was bleeding from apparent self-inflicted incised wounds to [his] arms and wrists, and made statements to the effect that he was a ‘bad guy,’” according to the filing.
He then reportedly took responsibility for the shooting, telling officers about his negative feelings toward the affluent.
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Robert “Rob” DeCesare Jr., 59, was fatally shot during a wedding at Sky Meadow Country Club in Nashua, N.H. (Charlene DeCesare)
Speaking to authorities from his hospital bed, Nadeau told investigators “he was tired of the ‘elites’ taking all the money,” according to the outlet.
Nadeau also reportedly told investigators he chose Sky Meadow because he had previously worked there and knew members were affluent.
“He said that he settled on Sky Meadow as a location because he worked there about a year ago as a server and knew that you had to have money to have a membership there,” police said, according to the Globe.
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“He was not targeting a specific person but did not care whether he killed someone or not,” police reportedly added.
Additionally, Nadeau explained why he targeted a wedding being held at the venue at the time of the shooting, telling police “he did not want to target ‘civilians,’” according to the outlet.
At the time, the shooting came less than one year after Luigi Mangione allegedly opened fire on UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in an apparent assassination in midtown Manhattan. Investigators have pointed to similar ideological motives behind Mangione’s alleged crimes.
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In January, prosecutors filed multiple charges against Nadeau, including first-degree murder and reckless second-degree murder, according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice.
He is being held without bail as he awaits trial.
Fox News Digital was unable to locate an attorney representing Nadeau.
Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.
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Nikki Ogunnaike, the editor in chief of Marie Claire magazine, did not grow up the scion of an Anna Wintour or a Marc Jacobs.
But, she said, “my mom and dad are both very stylish people.”
They got dressed up to go to church every week in her hometown Springfield, Va. Her mother managed a Staples; her father, a CVS. “Presentation is important to them,” she said.
Since landing her first internship with Glamour magazine in college, Ms. Ogunnaike, 40, has held editorial roles there and at Elle magazine and GQ. She has been in the top post at Marie Claire since 2023.
She recently spent a Saturday with The New York Times as she prepared for Milan Fashion Week.
Health
Massachusetts health officials have confirmed the state’s first two measles cases of the year, a school-aged child and a Greater Boston adult.
The Department of Public Health announced the cases Friday, marking the first report of measles in Massachusetts since 2024.
According to health officials, the adult who was diagnosed returned home recently from abroad and had an “uncertain vaccination history.” While infectious, the person visited several locations where others were likely exposed to the virus, and health officials said they are working to identify and notify anyone affected
The child, meanwhile, is a Massachusetts resident who was exposed to the virus and diagnosed with measles out-of-state, where they remain during the infectious period. Health officials said the child does not appear to have exposed anyone in Massachusetts to measles.
The two Massachusetts cases come as the U.S. battles a large national measles outbreak, which has seen 1,136 confirmed cases nationwide so far in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Our first two measles cases in 2026 demonstrate the impact that the measles outbreaks, nationally and internationally, can have here at home,” Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said Friday. “Fortunately, thanks to high vaccination rates, the risk to most Massachusetts residents remains low.”
Measles is a highly contagious disease that spreads through the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs, or talks. The virus can linger in the air for up to two hours and may even spread through tissues or cups used by someone who has it, according to the DPH.
Early symptoms occur 10 days to two weeks after exposure and may resemble a cold or cough, usually with a fever, health officials warned. A rash develops two to four days after the initial symptoms, appearing first on the head and shifting downward.
According to the DPH, complications occur in about 30% of infected measles patients, ranging from immune suppression to pneumonia, diarrhea, and encephalitis — a potentially life-threatening inflammation of the brain.
“Measles is the most contagious respiratory virus and can cause life-threatening illness,” Goldstein said. “These cases are a reminder of the need for health care providers and local health departments to remain vigilant for cases so that appropriate public health measures can be rapidly employed to prevent spread in the state. This is also a reminder that getting vaccinated is the best way for people to protect themselves from this disease.”
According to the DPH, people who have had measles, or who have been vaccinated against measles, are considered immune. State health officials offer the following guidance for the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine:
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