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NEWFIELDS, N.H. — It’s been 24 years since a Republican carried the swing state of New Hampshire in a presidential election.
You have to go back to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 2000. Four years later, as he won re-election, then-President Bush was narrowly edged in the Granite State, kicking off a losing streak that has extended to the present day.
But in the wake of two recent polls that indicated a margin-of-error race in New Hampshire and following President Biden’s extremely rough debate performance nine days ago in his first primetime face-to-face showdown with former President Trump, Republicans are increasingly hopeful they can bring an end to the losing streak.
BIDEN FACES THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL STRETCH OF HIS POLITICAL CAREER
Former President Donald Trump speaks as he celebrates a victory in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Jan. 23. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
“I firmly believe that New Hampshire is very much in play,” Steve Stepanek, the senior Trump adviser in the state, told Fox News.
Former longtime state party chair and former Democratic National Committee member Kathy Sullivan disagreed, spotlighting that “New Hampshire is not Trump-friendly territory” and that “there’s nothing changing the dynamic now in terms of Biden versus Trump in New Hampshire.”
BIDEN RAMPS UP SPENDING IN BID TO STEADY HIS FALTERING CAMPAIGN
Since the start of the general election rematch between Biden and Trump four months ago, much of the campaign spotlight has shined on the seven key battlegrounds that decided the 2020 election. Those states include Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada — which Biden narrowly carried four years ago — and North Carolina, which Trump won by a razor-thin margin.
Starting in May, Trump’s campaign started eyeing Minnesota and Virginia, two blue-leaning states in presidential contests, with his top advisers saying they were “clearly in play.”
Trump headlined a Minnesota GOP fundraising gala later that month, and last week, on the day after his debate with Biden, Trump held a large rally in Virginia.
Former President Trump and President Biden face off at a debate in Atlanta on June 27. (Getty Images)
The debate was a major setback for Biden, who at 81 is the oldest president in the nation’s history. His halting delivery and stumbling answers at the showdown in Atlanta sparked widespread panic in the Democratic Party and sparked a rising tide of calls from within his own party for him to step aside as its 2024 standard-bearer.
Fighting back, Biden is now aiming to show Americans that he still has the stamina and acuity to handle the toughest and most demanding job in the world and prove that he has the energy and fortitude to defeat Trump.
TOP NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL HANDICAPPER SHIFTS TWO STATES TOWARDS TRUMP
Earlier this week, well-known non-partisan political handicapper Sabato’s Crystal Ball shifted two key states towards Trump in the wake of the debate.
Michigan was shifted from “Leans Democrat” to “Toss-up” and Minnesota was moved from “Likely Democrat” to “Leans Democrat.”
In New Hampshire, a poll conducted after the debate by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center suggested that Trump was edging Biden by two points, which was within the survey’s sampling error. The poll followed a survey conducted in late May by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center which indicated Biden with a lower single-digit edge.
“I do think we are now in a battleground,” said Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College. “You are likely to see states that are similar to ours that show it’s tied up or Trump has the lead.”
President Biden speaks to supporters during a visit to a campaign field office in Manchester, New Hampshire, on March 11. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
But pointing to the new poll, Levesque told Fox News that “the good news for Biden is he’s weak with the people who self-describe as very liberal. Just 67% support. That means, in the end, most likely many of those people are going to vote for Biden even if they don’t want to admit it right now.”
New England College president Wayne Lesperance, a veteran New Hampshire-based political science professor, also said that the state “is in play.”
“Biden’s performance at the most recent debate has pushed Democrats to question his ability to campaign, win and govern. Recent polls in New Hampshire point to continued rock-solid support by Republicans for Trump. Democratic support seems to be faltering with some looking at independent candidates,” Lesperance noted. “As long as questions remain about Biden’s ability to go forward, the President will continue to bleed support, putting the Granite State in play.”
TRUMP GETS BOOST IN POST-DEBATE POLLS AFTER BIDEN’S BOTCHED PERFORMANCE
While the polls indicate a close contest in a state Biden carried by seven points over Trump four years ago, the Democrats currently hold a very large organizational advantage over the GOP when it comes to ground-game operations.
The Biden re-election team and the state Democratic coordinated campaign have 14 field offices across New Hampshire, with boots on the ground since January. Meanwhile, the Trump team and the GOP currently have one field office in addition to the campaign’s state headquarters.
“New Hampshire Democrats will continue to use our robust, grassroots campaign infrastructure to reach Granite Staters in every corner of New Hampshire to ensure we come together and re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris in November — the stakes could not be higher,” longtime state Democratic Party chair Ray Buckley emphasized in a statement.
But Stepanek, who chaired Trump’s 2016 campaign in New Hampshire before later serving as state GOP chair, touted that “there’s an army of Trump supporters out there, and they’re all coming out.”
“It’s going to be a turnout situation, and we feel we have a very significant ground game that’s going to turnout not only all the Trump supporters but all the Republicans and independents leaning Republican in spite of all the things the Democrats have on the ground here in New Hampshire,” Stepanek predicted.
And he argued that the Democrats “have a significant enthusiasm gap that they are contending with, and we don’t have that.”
As for specifics on how the Trump campaign will build out its ground game in New Hampshire, Stepanek answered, “My game plan I can’t tell you because it’s confidential.”
Sullivan, a top Biden surrogate in New Hampshire, shot back, claiming that when it comes to ground-game operations, “Republicans always say they’re going to do something, and they never follow through.”
Sullivan pointed to the Democrats’ “incredibly strong ground game and seeing nothing on the ground from the Trump campaign.” She also spotlighted that “the issues like abortion, the Republicans are just not in the mainstream.”
“Between the ground game, the issues, the spending by the Biden campaign and the lack of any presence by the Trump campaign, I don’t see the Republicans catching up,” she predicted.
Supporters of the write-in Joe Biden effort in the New Hampshire primary stand for a photo in Concord, New Hampshire, on Jan. 19. (Fox News – Clare O’Connor)
Sullivan also highlighted that they “got a real good head start when we had the write-in Biden effort,” as she referenced the outside effort by state Democrats that boosted the president to a large victory in New Hampshire’s unsanctioned Democratic presidential primary in January, where Biden wasn’t on the ballot.
And in a state where Trump’s GOP presidential primary rival, former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, won 43% of the vote — losing to Trump by only 11 points — Sullivan noted that “the Biden campaign is going to be reaching out to moderate to conservative Republicans who understand what a danger Donald Trump is to our democracy.”
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A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 elementary school children while over four times the legal alcohol limit, authorities said, after reports she was swerving through traffic and nearly hitting vehicles before the bus ended up in a snowbank.
On Tuesday, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Douglass Township Police Chief Robert B. Evans announced an arrest warrant for Kelly Weber, 46, of Boyertown.
Weber is charged with driving under the influence, 54 counts each of endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment and related summary offenses.
Authorities said police were alerted around 4 p.m. Feb. 6 that a school bus was driving erratically and narrowly missing other vehicles.
A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
A responding officer later found the bus stopped in a snowbank.
Investigators said officers found an open 750ml bottle of Tito’s vodka, two empty 50ml bottles and a receipt showing the alcohol was purchased earlier that morning.
RHODE ISLAND TEACHER ACCUSED OF SEXTING, KISSING HIGH SCHOOL BOY
A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (iStock)
According to authorities, a blood test showed Weber’s blood alcohol concentration was .331%, more than four times the legal limit of .08%, and detected Delta-9 Carboxy THC.
Investigators said 54 children were on the bus, including five younger than 6. Several children called or texted their parents during the ride because they were frightened by the driving, and one child exited at an earlier stop and was picked up by his parents, authorities said.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH CHARGED WITH RAPING FOSTER DAUGHTER, SERVING VICTIM TEQUILA SHOTS: REPORT
A Pennsylvania school bus driver is accused of driving 54 children with a .331% BAC before stopping in a snowbank. She faces DUI and 54 child endangerment counts. (iStock, File)
“More than 50 young children were in a dangerous situation created by this defendant, who chose to consume a significant amount of alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a school bus and drive miles while intoxicated,” Steele said. “We are all thankful that this defendant didn’t crash the bus and cause further harm to these children.”
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Weber checked herself into a rehabilitation facility after the incident, authorities said. She is expected to turn herself in for arraignment, at which time bail will be set.
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Boston Marathon
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.
Name: Brianna Poehler
City/State: Granby, Mass.
I am running the 2026 Boston Marathon with Miles for Miracles in support of Boston Children’s Hospital. The Boston Marathon is deeply personal to me and my family.
My daughter is a liver transplant survivor, and at just 11 months old, she received a life-saving liver transplant at Boston Children’s Hospital.
What could have been the most devastating chapter of our lives became a story of hope, resilience, and extraordinary care because of the BCH team.
When our daughter was so small and so sick, the doctors, nurses, and staff at Boston Children’s carried us through the unimaginable.
They combined world-class medical expertise with compassion that went far beyond treatment plans and hospital rooms. They cared for our daughter as if she were their own. They supported us as anxious, exhausted parents. They gave us answers when we had questions, and reassurance when we were overwhelmed.
Most importantly, they gave our daughter a second chance at life.
Today, she is thriving because of that gift. Every milestone she reaches is a reminder of the miracle she received and the team that made it possible. Running the Boston Marathon is my way of honoring that gift and saying thank you in the most meaningful way I can.
The marathon is a test of endurance, determination, and heart — qualities I saw in my daughter during her fight and in the Boston Children’s team every single day.
With every mile I run, I will be thinking of her strength, her transplant journey, and the families who are walking similar paths right now.
By running with Miles for Miracles, I hope to raise funds that will support groundbreaking research, life-saving treatments, and compassionate care for children like my daughter. This race is more than 26.2 miles — it is a celebration of survival, gratitude, and hope.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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Along with the best football prospects the season has to offer, the NFL Draft promises to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to Pittsburgh from April 23 to 25.
If the turnout approaches that of Detroit in 2023, those descending on the North Shore and Downtown could reach 700,000 over the three days. For reference, that’s more than 10 times Acrisure Stadium’s 68,400 seats, and more than double the city’s roughly 308,000 residents.
Where will they stay? How will they get around?
Event planners at VisitPittsburgh say the city is up to the task.
“They picked us out of several cities because we have the infrastructure,” said Perry Ivery, general manager of the Oaklander Hotel and board chair of VisitPittsburgh.
Last year, Wisconsin’s Green Bay comfortably accommodated a unique visitor count three times its 106,000 population, according to residents and local leaders.
Ivery said there are some 26,000 hotel rooms across the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area, the bulk of which are concentrated in and around Downtown.
Even if each room holds two to four people, the total still appears to fall short. But Ivery said many attendees will be locals, whether from Pittsburgh, surrounding counties or neighboring states within a day’s drive.
Plus, a high proportion of out-of-town guests could have Pittsburgh roots and a free bed to claim in a family home, he added.
There are also around 3,500 units available for short-term rental in and around Pittsburgh through platforms like Airbnb and VRBO.
“We’re all working together to make sure everybody has a great hospitality experience in the City of Pittsburgh,” Ivery said.
Infrastructure from roads to parking, and bus and light rail routes, will also feel the strain.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit normally services around 100,000 riders on an average weekday, across its entire network. Spokesperson Adam Brandolph said the agency is prepared for the transit demands of what’s expected to be the biggest event the city has hosted.
“We’re confident that we’ll be able to meet the needs of visitors to the draft as well as daily riders,” he said, noting “no major closures or detours” are planned for the event other than the University Line project, which may see less construction during that week.
Brandolph said the agency is finalizing plans and intends to make more information public soon.
A spokesperson for VisitPittsburgh said a local committee is working with a range of stakeholders including transportation agencies, engineering partners and local government “to deliver a coordinated and comprehensive plan for the region.”
“This includes collaboration with public transit agencies on adjusted service plans, clearly marked detour routes, designated rideshare zones and proactive communication with residents, businesses and commuters,” said Alex Kenzakoski, communications director for VisitPittsburgh.
“Our shared goal is to minimize disruption, keep the region moving and make travel as predictable and seamless as possible for both fans and locals.”
Kenzakoski said details on road closures, transit adjustments and travel guidance will be made known ahead of the draft, and encouraged fans to download the NFL OnePass app for transportation information and updates.
Ivery said a successful draft week execution could line Pittsburgh up for future hosting prospects.
“There’re going to be folks that come in that have never been to Pittsburgh … This is a case to showcase our town, and our hotels,” he said.
“We’re friendly, we have grit, we’re very excited to showcase that we can do large-scale activities.”
This story first appeared in Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Read the original here.
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