Northeast
Race to replace GOP governor in swing state on tap as primary season comes to a close on Tuesday
NEWFIELDS, N.H. — After six months of contests, the final states hold primaries in the 2024 election cycle as voters in Delaware, New Hampshire and Rhode Island head to the polls on Tuesday.
And grabbing the most attention, the competitive and combustible Republican and Democrat gubernatorial primaries in New Hampshire in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Chris Sununu, who isn’t running for re-election after winning four straight two-year terms as the Granite State governor.
And the race in New Hampshire, a perennial general election swing state, is considered by political pundits as the only competitive governor’s race in the nation this year.
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Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire is interviewed by Fox News Digital on July 11, 2024, in Newfields, N.H. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
The polling and fundraising front-runner for the Republican nomination is former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, a former state attorney general who narrowly lost her Senate re-election in 2016 after breaking with former President Trump after the release of the infamous “Access Hollywood” video.
But Ayotte endorsed Trump this year as he runs to win back his old job in the White House.
WHAT AYOTTE TOLD FOX NEWS ALONG THE NEW HAMPSHIRE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
Her opponent, former state Senate President Chuck Morse, has spotlighted his conservative credentials and his support for Trump. But the former president stayed neutral in the race.
Ayotte, who received Sununu’s endorsement this summer, told Fox News earlier this year that “the path that Gov. Sununu has us on is one of prosperity, one of more freedom. … I want us to continue down that path. I appreciate his leadership and the work that he’s done, and I want to continue his success for this state.”
Former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the front-runner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in New Hampshire, speaks with voters at the Hampton Beach Seafood Festival on Sept. 7, 2024. (Kelly Ayotte campaign)
Morse has repeatedly questioned Ayotte’s conservative credentials as a senator and her support for Trump.
“I think there’s a big difference between myself and Kelly Ayotte,” Morse said this summer. “I started as a conservative, and I finished as a conservative as Senate president, and I promise you, I will be a governor that’s a conservative. … That’s not what Kelly did when she went to Washington.”
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Ayotte, pushing back on Morse’s attacks, has pointed to Morse’s unsuccessful bid in 2022 for the GOP Senate nomination, and she added that “I’ve known Chuck a long time, and this is a sad way for him to end his political career.”
Former New Hampshire state Senate President Chuck Morse, who’s running for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, shakes hands with voters at the Milford, N.H., Labor Day parade on Sept. 2, 2024. (Chuck Morse gubernatorial campaign)
The winner of the Republican nomination will face off in an eight-week sprint to the general election against either former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig or Cinde Warmington, the only Democrat on New Hampshire’s Executive Council, which is an elected five-member panel that approves state agency heads, judges and major state contracts.
Similar to the Republican gubernatorial primary, the Democrat’s nomination battle has also turned into a war of words.
In a state hard hit by the opioid crisis, Craig recently released an ad criticizing Warmington’s past work as a lobbyist for drugmaking giant Purdue Pharma, known for producing the controversial painkiller OxyContin.
Warmington fired back with an ad of her own as she charged that Craig went on the attack to deflect from her record of steering New Hampshire’s largest city through crime and homelessness crises.
Democrat Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire marches in an Independence Day parade on July 4, 2022, in Amherst, N.H. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Also grabbing the spotlight in New Hampshire is an ugly primary battle in the race to succeed retiring six-term Democrat Rep. Annie Kuster in the 2nd Congressional District, which covers the western half and northern region of the state.
Kuster is backing Colin Van Ostern, a former staffer and former executive councilor who narrowly lost the 2016 gubernatorial election to Sununu.
Former four-term Gov. John Lynch is supporting Van Ostern’s rival, Maggie Goodlander, a former top lawyer in President Biden’s administration who served as a deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department and who is married to Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan.
Lynch originally backed Van Ostern but switched to Goodlander, saying “I think his campaign is one of the nastiest I’ve seen in my fifty years of being involved in elections here in New Hampshire.”
Democrat candidates in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District Maggie Goodlander and Colin Van Ostern take part in a primary debate on June 7, 2024, in Manchester, N.H. (NH Today Show)
The Democratic congressional primary turned ugly with an attack ad targeting Goodlander for past donations to “pro-life” Republicans. There have also been carpetbagger allegations directed at Goodlander, who was born in the district but hadn’t lived in decades, and, through her husband, also has connections to top national Democrats, including former President Clinton and former Secretary of State and 2016 Democrat presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
Goodland has also faced criticism for going negative first, after an aligned super PAC took aim in an ad at Van Ostern, who enjoys the support not only of Kuster but a number of leading state Democats.
Vikram Mansharamani, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2022 GOP Senate nomination, and Lily Tang Williams, who’s making her second straight bid for the congressional nomination, are considered the front-runners in a crowded Republican primary field.
Delaware also has an open-seat gubernatorial race, as Democrat Gov. John Carney is term limited. Carney, who won three terms as Delaware’s lone member of the U.S. House before serving two terms as lieutenant governor and later won election and re-election as governor, is running instead as mayor of Wilmington, the state’s largest city.
Gov. John Carney of Delaware (Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and National Wildlife Federation CEO and former state Natural Resources Secretary Collin O’Mara are running in the Democrat primary to succeed Carney.
Retired police officer Jerry Price, state House Minority Leader Michael Ramone and small business owner Bobby Williamson are seeking the GOP gubernatorial nomination.
There are also primaries for the open lieutenant governor’s seat and for the state’s U.S. House seat as Democrat Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester – who made history in 2016 as the first Black person to represent Delaware in Congress – is running to succeed retiring Sen. Tom Carper, a fellow Democrat.
In the race to succeed Blunt Rochester, Democratic state Sen. Sarah McBride is expected to easily secure her party’s nomination as she takes another step in the deep blue state towards becoming the first transgender member of Congress.
In Rhode Island, Democrat Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse faces a long-shot primary challenge from Mike Costa, a former GOP gubernatorial candidate.
State Rep. Patrick Morgan is the front-runner for the GOP Senate nomination and would face a steep uphill climb to defeat Whitehouse in November’s general election in the reliably blue state.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Connecticut
Twin Peaks Restaurant planning to open 3 locations in Connecticut
DALLAS (WTNH) — A New London-based group is partnering with a Texas-based restaurant planning to open its first locations in Connecticut.
New London Hospitality has signed a new area development agreement with Twin Hospitality Group Inc., the parent company of Twin Peaks Restaurant, for the development rights of three future locations in the state, according to a press release from Twin Peaks.
The release lists New Haven, Hartford, Waterbury, Danbury and Stamford or Bridgeport as potential markets.
According to the release, New London Hospitality is run by Deepak Verma and Kam Singh, who have experience in the hospitality industry and have worked with major hotel brands including Hilton, Red Roof Inn and Choice Hotels.
“Deepak and Kam bring a powerful combination of hospitality expertise and operational discipline,” Twin Peaks CEO Kim Boerema said in the release. “Their experience growing multi-unit concepts makes them ideal partners as we enter Connecticut. We are confident they will help anchor Twin Peaks as a new favorite for sports fans throughout the state.”
Twin Peaks describes itself as “the ultimate sports lodge featuring made-from-scratch food and the coldest beer in the business, surrounded by scenic views and wall-to-wall TVs. At every Twin Peaks, guests are immediately welcomed by a friendly Twin Peaks Girl and served up a menu made for MVPs.”
“Twin Peaks delivers everything guests want in a sports bar — scratch-made food, 29-degree draft beer, and the best place to catch every game,” Verma said. “We look forward to introducing the brand’s signature lodge experience and welcoming Twin Peaks girls to Connecticut, establishing a new home base for local sports fans and food enthusiasts.”
Twin Peaks was founded in 2005 in Lewisville, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. There are 114 locations in the United States and Mexico. The closest location to Connecticut is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Maine
Tell us your Maine hunting hot takes
Now that deer season has wrapped up, hunters across Maine are returning to their usual off-season routine: processing meat, watching football and passionately debating the “right” way to hunt and fish.
Anyone who spends time in the woods knows opinions run deep.
So, what’s your hunting hot take? Is camo really necessary, or do deer not care what you’re wearing? Can they really smell a Swisher Sweet on your clothing? Should hunting licenses be harder to get, or should crossbows be classified as firearms?
It’s not just about laws, either — it’s about ethics, tradition and your personal style.
Your hot take might spark a friendly debate — or a fiery one — but either way, we want to hear it.
Share your thoughts in the comments or email Outdoors editors Susan Bard at sbard@bangordailynews.com.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Removes LGBT Ideology Requirements for Foster-Care Parents
Massachusetts will no longer require prospective foster parents to affirm gender ideology in order to qualify for fostering children, with the move coming after a federal lawsuit from a religious-liberty group.
Alliance Defending Freedom said Dec. 17 that the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families “will no longer exclude Christian and other religious families from foster care” because of their “commonly held beliefs that boys are boys and girls are girls.”
The legal group announced in September that it had filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court over the state policy, which required prospective parents to agree to affirm a child’s “sexual orientation and gender identity” before being permitted to foster.
Attorney Johannes Widmalm-Delphonse said at the time that the state’s foster system was “in crisis” with more than 1,400 children awaiting placement in foster homes.
Yet the state was “putting its ideological agenda ahead of the needs of these suffering kids,” Widmalm-Delphonse said.
The suit had been filed on behalf of two Massachusetts families who had been licensed to serve as foster parents in the state. They had provided homes for nearly three dozen foster children between them and were “in good standing” at the time of the policy change.
Yet the state policy required them to “promise to use a child’s chosen pronouns, verbally affirm a child’s gender identity contrary to biological sex, and even encourage a child to medically transition, forcing these families to speak against their core religious beliefs,” the lawsuit said.
With its policy change, Massachusetts will instead require foster parents to affirm a child’s “individual identity and needs,” with the LGBT-related language having been removed from the state code.
The amended language comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month that aims to improve the nation’s foster care system by modernizing the current child welfare system, developing partnerships with private sector organizations, and prioritizing the participation of those with sincerely held religious beliefs.
Families previously excluded by the state rule are “eager to reapply for their licenses,” Widmalm-Delphonse said on Dec. 17.
The lawyer commended Massachusetts for taking a “step in the right direction,” though he said the legal group will continue its efforts until it is “positive that Massachusetts is committed to respecting religious persons and ideological diversity among foster parents.”
Other authorities have made efforts in recent years to exclude parents from state child care programs on the basis of gender ideology.
In July a federal appeals court ruled in a 2-1 decision that Oregon likely violated a Christian mother’s First Amendment rights by demanding that she embrace gender ideology and homosexuality in order to adopt children.
In April, meanwhile, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed legislation that would have prohibited the government from requiring parents to affirm support for gender ideology and homosexuality if they want to qualify to adopt or foster children.
In contrast, Arkansas in April enacted a law to prevent adoptive agencies and foster care providers from discriminating against potential parents on account of their religious beliefs.
The Arkansas law specifically prohibits the government from discriminating against parents over their refusal to accept “any government policy regarding sexual orientation or gender identity that conflicts with the person’s sincerely held religious beliefs.”
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