Armed man accused of lunging at Ohio Dem candidate avoids felonies as prosecutor reveals key evidence
The man who allegedly stormed toward Ohio Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton at a recent fair will not face felony charges, the county prosecutor leading the case told reporters Tuesday. The only video investigators currently have of the incident was recorded by the suspect, Patrick Havas, leaving authorities with little video evidence, Mahoning County Prosecutor Lynn Maro said. “The information we’ve received is that the Acton camp requested individuals stop recording shortly before this incident occurred,” Maro told reporters on Tuesday. “So, at this point, the only video we have is the defendant’s. And what’s that showing certainly doesn’t support filing felony charges.” PISTOL-PACKING MAN KNOCKS OVER FAIRGOERS FORCING HIS WAY TOWARD OHIO GOVERNOR CANDIDATE AMY ACTON, POLICE SAY Patrick Havas was intercepted by Ohio Highway Patrol officers after allegedly knocking over multiple fairgoers as he ran toward Acton at a tent at the Canfield Fair while armed with a Taser and two firearms. He was initially booked on two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct, all misdemeanors. An inducing panic charge was added Tuesday at his arraignment, bringing the total to four misdemeanor counts. Havas pleaded not guilty. Maro said the tape showed Havas “walking into the tent” where Acton was, and “calling out her name” before executive protection unit officers from Ohio Highway Patrol interrupted him. “Then, his phone is either dropped or tossed, and that’s all we have,” Maro said. RAMASWAMY TORCHES DEM RIVAL OVER ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ COVID-19 CLAIM: ‘SPEWING LIES’ “There’s never any close contact with the governor, never gets near her — sorry, ‘candidate for governor’,” she added. Fox News Digital reached out to Maro for comment and to obtain a copy of the video in question. An official who picked up the phone at her office said Maro was out but would be checking messages. A reporter for the NBC affiliate tweeted that their network had also attempted to obtain the video but that officials said they would not be releasing it as part of their “active investigation.” Fox News Digital also reached out to the Acton campaign for additional comment, as well as details around the reported request that people stop filming Acton just before the encounter. “While attending the Canfield Fair, an armed individual lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people. Dr. Acton and Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured,” Acton campaign communications director Addie Bullock said in a separate statement. “This kind of violence has no place in Ohio. Dr. Acton will always stand up to the chaos, hate and vitriol that pits us against one another.” An Ohio judge ordered Havas to not speak to the press, according to Youngstown’s NBC affiliate, and Havas has been placed under a $5,000 bond and forced to surrender any weaponry in his possession. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Havas is a local to that region of Ohio. He was arrested in 2008 on petty theft and disorderly conduct charges, according to Newsweek. The theft charge was later dismissed after he pleaded no contest to disorderly conduct. He was accused of stealing several movies from a supermarket, including the James Bond film “Casino Royale.” Acton faces Republican entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy in November, as Gov. Mike DeWine is term-limited. DeWine’s lieutenant, former Ohio State Football coach Jim Tressel, declined to run for the office. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price contributed to this report.
Reporter’s Notebook: 9/11 is just a history chapter for a new generation of Americans
It’s faded. Not from decay. Not from neglect. It’s simply the passage of time. The memories are vague. Elusive. Distant. And some who lived it are simply no longer here. Roughly one-third of all Americans who were alive on 9/11 aren’t around anymore to observe the 25th anniversary of that abominable day. And so the recollections of Sept. 11, 2001, are diluted. NEW 9/11 MUSEUM EXHIBIT AIMS TO CONNECT YOUNGER AMERICANS TO THE ATTACKS THROUGH POWERFUL ARTIFACTS To some, Sept. 11 is just another day. But it’s something different for those who weren’t around to live and breathe the horror. To many, 9/11 is like Pearl Harbor Day. Lots of people know about it. They understand it’s what triggered the U.S.’s entry into World War II. But they can’t quite explain much more. The same with other historical-shifting moments. Aug. 6 and 9, 1945 — the days the U.S. bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki, effectively ending World War II. Nov. 22, 1963 — the day a gunman mowed down President John F. Kennedy Jr. in Dallas. A lot of people remember the Space Shuttle Challenger exploding. But few could tell you that it happened on Jan. 28, 1986. The quintessence of 9/11 is the date. Kind of like July 4th. A bit like Jan. 6 and the Capitol riot. However, we were told on Sept. 11, 2001, that things would never be the same. But how can those who didn’t experience it understand what “the same” was like if they never lived it? Just last month, a relative of mine who soon turns 26 asked, “What it was like to fly before 9/11?” I can regale you with stories about myself and a rag-tag group of high school friends, driving to the Cincinnati airport, clearing security and just wandering around the Delta gates, “hanging out” back in the mid-1980s. No ticket. No questions asked. Just a visit to Cinnabon. But the “before times” question about 9/11 is a broader conversation. It’s not just about “what changed” when you take off your shoes and bustle through security to fly. LIZ PEEK: WE CANNOT LET THE LEFT REWRITE WHAT HAPPENED ON 9/11 A nine-and-a-half-foot-tall plaque hangs in the East Front vestibule of the U.S. Capitol near the Rotunda. It commemorates Flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Pa., on 9/11. It took a few years, but the U.S. intelligence services finally determined that the fourth plane was bound for the U.S. Capitol. That’s where Todd Beamer and a cadre of everyday Americans voted (mind you, at 35,000 feet) to commandeer a drinks cart and rush the cockpit in an effort to seize control of the plane. “Let’s roll!” Beamer was overheard saying on a cellphone as they charged down the aisle. That two-word phrase became a battle cry for a nation as it waged the war on terrorism. The Boeing 757 hurtled toward Washington at 563 mph. It was 20 minutes out from the federal city when the plane crashed, upside down, in the Pennsylvania countryside. Shanksville is now one of those places forever notched into American history. A place not as famous, say, as Gettysburg or Jamestown, but not a footnote, either. Shanksville is part of the vernacular like Shiloh, Seneca Falls, Kent. People might know that something historic happened there. But they aren’t exactly sure what. Scores of markers dot the U.S. Capitol, denoting important things from yesteryear. Wander into Statuary Hall in the Capitol and you’ll find the desk locations of eight presidents who served in the House. But the spot where President Franklin Pierce once sat just seems like an historical annotation. Pierce toiled there nearly two centuries ago. And he’s hardly prominent among American chief executives. There’s a plaque just outside the Old Supreme Court chamber. It tells the story of how Samuel B. Morse sent the first electronic message from that room to Baltimore over a wire in 1844. “What hath God wrought!” reads the plaque, commemorating Morse’s transmission. That event christened the age of near-instant communication – now ubiquitous in the form of news alerts and TikTok videos appearing instantly in the palms of our hands. But that plaque in the Capitol’s East Front vestibule doesn’t memorialize something that happened there. It marks something that didn’t happen there. The plaque reads that the actions of the 40 passengers and crew “not only saved countless lives, but may have saved the U.S. Capitol from destruction.” In other words, this global citadel to democracy with its ivory dome might not pierce the Washington skyline were it not for a plane that crashed 167 miles away. Shanksville. Shiloh. Seneca Falls. Kent. TRUMP CONFIRMS PENTAGON PLANS FOR 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11 ATTACKS, DISPUTES REPORT ON GROUND ZERO ABSENCE I’ve driven the Pennsylvania Turnpike past Somerset for decades now. That’s where the signs direct you north 10 miles to the Flight 93 National Memorial. I budgeted time into my travels to visit the memorial on one frigid, windy morning a few Februarys ago. Inside, you stand at a vista, staring downhill into a small ravine and tree line where the plane crashed. On that morning, I couldn’t help but notice there was no wildlife to be seen or heard. No deer. No birds chirping. A disturbing silence. Perhaps it was the billowing wind of that frosty morning. Maybe the snow. But I noticed no footprints gouging the crisp snowpack. It was almost as though the animals were aware of something. Dare I say understood what happened in this field a quarter-century ago. Perhaps the local fauna stayed hushed out of reverence for those who perished. A tribute to their heroism, saving the U.S. Capitol. Or perhaps it was something else. Maybe the creatures were so reserved because of the malevolence which was also on board Flight 93. One can only speculate that the animals remain hushed because of the peculiar unease enveloping the place. Even on a crisp but blustery winter morning. Shanksville is a burial ground. And in a few
Obama judge’s peculiar Trump rebuke ignites fury over ‘unprofessional’ language: ‘Embarrassment’
Critics took aim Tuesday at a federal appeals court after a judge dismissed the IRS’ argument in an ICE data-sharing case as “weak sauce,” drawing immediate backlash over the unusual language in the ruling. “That argument is ‘weak sauce’ where the district court has permitted the IRS to file any necessary notifications ‘under seal,’ thereby shielding any criminal investigative activity from disclosure,” wrote D.C. Circuit Judge Cornelia Pillard, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2013. “Weak sauce” is slang for something that falls flat and lacks substance. The lawsuit centers on whether the IRS violated federal tax-confidentiality law by sharing tens of thousands of taxpayer addresses with ICE after receiving requests for information on more than 1 million suspected illegal immigrants. The case was heard by a three-judge D.C. Circuit panel composed entirely of Obama appointees: Pillard, Patricia Millett and Robert Wilkins. OBAMA-APPOINTED JUDGE TORCHES TRUMP ADMIN IN LATEST COURTROOM SHOWDOWN, REFERS ATTORNEY FOR BAR REVIEW Critics were quick to slam Pillard’s “weak sauce” comment, calling it an “embarrassment” while others slammed the ruling. “DHS strongly disagrees with this ruling. We will continue using every lawful tool available to locate and remove illegal aliens with final orders of removal, and this ruling in no way prevents us from doing so,” DHS told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. “It’s an embarrassment to the Court that 2 judges would not have told the author to change a different phrase with the same meaning. Now that is going to be quoted/cited in future cases and it will look sophomoric and unserious,” said conservative attorney William Shipley on X. “Three anti-Trump Obama judges abuse power to impair basic immigration law enforcement. We have a judicial integrity crisis in the federal courts,” wrote Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton. “Why would anyone put that language in a professional document of any kind? That goes beyond legal decorum. It’s just unprofessional across the board,” said one user on X. “I’m all for using accessible language, but the insertion of popular slang in judicial opinions is getting out of hand,” another posted to X. “Make legal writing formal again,” wrote D.C. attorney Joshua Prince. GOP SENATOR UNVEILS BOASBERG ACT TO STOP ‘ROGUE’ JUDGES FROM HANDPICKING TRUMP CASES “Did Ketanji write that or some TikTok fan girl? Borderline illiteracy,” said one user. The plaintiffs—including the Center for Taxpayer Rights, Main Street Alliance and two labor unions—argued the IRS failed to ensure ICE’s requests met strict legal requirements. APPEALS COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMIN FROM HOLDING MIGRANTS WITHOUT BOND FOR OVER 90 DAYS The judges upheld a lower-court order blocking the IRS from using its current process to provide taxpayer information to ICE, finding that the procedure failed to comply with federal tax-confidentiality law. The judges found that ICE often submitted “either incomplete or insufficiently populated” information, yet the IRS still provided tens of thousands of taxpayer addresses. The ruling comes as President Donald Trump has made immigration enforcement a central priority, directing the administration to expand border security, detention and deportations while ICE ramps up arrests nationwide. Fox News Digital reached out to the circuit court, DHS and IRS for comment.
Trump hails ‘really big night’ for populists in German election after historic victory
President Donald Trump heralded the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party’s electoral success in regional elections on Sunday in a Tuesday night post on Truth Social. “Wow! The Populist Party in Germany just had a really big night,” Trump wrote in the post. “They finally got tired of the absolutely horrible Immigration rules and regulations which have hurt Germany so badly. THEY ARE ON THE RISE, and not going to take it anymore! MGGA!!! President DJT,” his post concluded. The German state of Saxony-Anhalt held elections Sunday, and AfD outperformed expectations that predicted the party would secure 40-41% of the vote, according to The Guardian. AfD surpassed that, garnering 43.8% of the vote while securing 39 seats in the state’s 83-member parliament, according to results from the state’s election authority. NEW GERMANY SEX-CRIME FIGURES REIGNITE MIGRATION FIGHT AS EXPLOITATION PROBE EXPANDS It’s a marked improvement from the young party’s last result in the state, as AfD secured only 20% of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt’s 2021 elections. ‘SEND THEM BACK’ CHANTS ROCK EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AFTER LANDSLIDE VOTE TO SPEED UP DEPORTATIONS The anti-immigration party benefited in particular from the Christian Democratic Union of Germany’s (CDU) losses, as Saxony-Anhalt’s previous governing party dropped 25 seats, ending the election with only 15 seats in the state’s parliament, per the results from the election authority. AfD’s parliamentary co-chair in Saxony-Anhalt, Ulrich Siegmund, credited his party’s victory to Germany’s unpopular Chancellor Friedrich Merz, a member of the CDU party. EU ADMITS IT ‘DIDN’T HAVE CONTROL’ ON MIGRATION AS BLOC RUSHES CRACKDOWN AHEAD OF NEW RULES “Things cannot carry on like this,” Siegmund told state broadcaster ARD, adding that “a very good campaigner for us in this election campaign was Friedrich Merz.” Merz’s CDU, like other parties in Germany, refuses to work with AfD, whose Saxony-Anhalt branch has been classified as an “extremist group” by Germany’s internal intelligence service. DENMARK’S LEFT-WING PM WARNS: ‘BIG ENEMY HAS STARTED TO GROW FROM WITHIN’ AS EUROPE FACES MIGRANT RECKONING AfD has been met with complete opposition in Germany, with most parties putting up what leaders and German media have come to categorize as a “firewall” against working with them. The CDU and three other parties that won seats in Saxony-Anhalt’s Sunday elections – the Left Party, the Social Democrats, and the Greens – have already publicly stated they will not form a coalition with AfD in the state. Without an absolute majority, it’s unclear how AfD would be able to rule without the cooperation of another party. The party’s best hope of forming a ruling coalition would be with the only other party that won seats in Sunday’s election, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), which took five parliamentary seats. GERMAN OFFICIALS WARN ISLAMIST, FAR-LEFT RHETORIC DRIVING SPIKE IN ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS The state’s incumbent governor, Sven Schulze, a member of the CDU, congratulated AfD for its victory, and said, “We as the CDU will also have to deal with this result.” But his party’s national general secretary, Franziska Hoppermann, remained defiant. “AfD is a right-wing extremist party. It wants to leave the euro; that would be economic downfall… it works closely together with Russia, it wants a completely different social model,” she said, according to The Associated Press. “We will not work with them.” PRESIDENT ALEKSANDAR VUČIĆ: EUROPE VILIFIES TRUMP, BUT WE IN SERBIA SEE A FRIEND AfD’s defacto leader, Alice Weidel, meanwhile, celebrated the result as “sensational,” adding that the party’s “hand is outstretched to all who want to make Saxony-Anhalt better and move Germany forward.” Fox News Digital contacted the AfD and the CDU for further comment. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Supreme Court chief justice praises outgoing Smithsonian leader who was under pressure from Trump admin
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts praised the outgoing head of the Smithsonian Institution on Tuesday after the official came under fire from President Donald Trump’s administration. Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch, 73, announced plans to retire this week after more than a year of tension with the White House over how U.S. history is presented at his institution. The Trump administration released a July report earlier this summer laying out its criticisms of the National Museum of American History in particular. Roberts, who serves as the chancellor of the Smithsonian, hailed Bunch on his departure, saying he “pursued excellence in the telling of our nation’s story” and that the Smithsonian had “benefited greatly from his wisdom, vision and leadership.” FORMER DEMOCRATIC STAFFERS, DEI LEADERS SHAPE SMITHSONIAN LEADERSHIP AMID POLITICAL FIRESTORM Prior to his departure, Bunch had pushed back internally on criticism from the White House. The July report argued that the Smithsonian had become “subject to institutional capture by a radical, activist ideology that is fundamentally opposed to telling the noble, honest story of the great country we know and love.” Bunch responded with an internal email to staff members, acknowledging that there is “room for improvement,” but arguing the report was “not a fair characterization of the work and totality of the National Museum of American History.” TRUMP ORDERS SIGNS OUTSIDE SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM AMID ROW OVER ITS DEPICTION OF AMERICAN HISTORY “At the Smithsonian, our work is driven by scholarship, accuracy and an uncompromising commitment to tell the fullness of America’s story. As public servants and the keepers of this institution, we are charged with helping a nation find understanding, hope and clarity and as part of that duty, we are dedicated to excellence, reflection and growth,” he wrote. Bunch appears to have relented to pressure after the latest move by the White House, which saw Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and White House Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley warn that the Smithsonian could lose access to artifacts and grants from the federal government if it continues with its current leadership. SMITHSONIAN’S TAXPAYER FUNDS FACE CHOPPING BLOCK AS GOP DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ‘WOKE’ HISTORY Burgum and Haley wrote a letter to Congress last week laying out concerns about ideological capture and potential misconduct among the Smithsonian’s leadership. “The administration has recently uncovered evidence that the Smithsonian leadership’s institutional culture may have resulted in significant violations of Federal antidiscrimination law, including creating a hostile work environment and engaging in practices that classify individuals and allocate opportunities, funding and other benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity and other protected characteristics,” the letter read.
George Bush welcomes top officials to his home state for 9/11 remembrance on 25th anniversary of attacks
DALLAS — George W. Bush was president during the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, and he is marking the 25th anniversary of the day that changed America forever by hosting a solemn remembrance event in his home state. The event, called “A Legacy of Service: America at the 25th Anniversary of 9/11,” will take place at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, and kicks off at 6:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday evening. It will feature a conversation between former President Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who “will share their reflections on the legacy and meaning of 9/11—how the day changed the country, how it continues to shape American life, and how the call to serve remains as urgent as ever,” according to the webpage for the event. 9/11 MUSEUM CEO REFLECTS ON LASTING IMPACT OF TERROR ATTACKS AS AMERICA MARKS 250TH BIRTHDAY A moderated discussion between General Dan Caine, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and former Deputy National Security Advisor J.D. Crouch, who served in that role under Bush from 2005 to 2007, is also part of the program. Melissa Stockwell, a two-time Paralympic triathlete and Army veteran who was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star after losing her leg in Iraq, is a featured guest. So is Jared Lyons, a Navy veteran and CEO of Student Veterans of America. MASSIVE WORLD TRADE CENTER STEEL BEAM ARRIVES AT WEST POINT, UNITING 9/11 HEROES WITH GENERATION SENT TO WAR “Together, these conversations will offer a thoughtful, elevated reflection on a defining moment in American history and on the enduring commitment to service that continues to strengthen the nation,” the webpage for the event says. As part of the 25th anniversary commemoration, Bush painted 16 works of art that “reflect on the courage, sacrifice, and resilience that emerged from one of the most defining moments in American history,” that will be displayed at Freedom Hall at the Bush Museum through September. Bush was known for his painting hobby when he occupied the White House and in the years after he left office. The Bush Presidential Center has also invited the public to join in a moment of remembrance on Friday morning, alongside local first responders. Bush was president on Sept. 11, 2001, and was visiting an elementary school for an education event when he was informed that America was under attack. He first used the phrase “war on terrorism” on Sept. 16, 2001, and officially declared a campaign during a Sept. 20, 2001 joint address to Congress, which kicked off the 20-year war on terror. He was elected for a second term in 2004 and retired to Texas with his wife Laura, and the two have maintained a relatively low profile.
Socialist politicians are ‘more racist than the KKK,’ says Black Dem official urging voters to ditch El-Sayed
An elected Democratic official in Michigan is rallying her community against U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed and claims those within the socialist rise of her party take Black voters for granted. “It doesn’t change, it’s just different slave owners,” Democratic Michigan state Rep. Karen Whitsett told Fox News Digital in reference to Democratic Party leaders who believe Black voters are a monolith who should only support left-wing candidates. She claimed that El-Sayed is not working in the best interest of Black Michiganders and that the far-left wing of her party is “more racist than the KKK.” JASMINE CROCKETT WARNS DEMOCRATS ARE TOO FOCUSED ON WHITE VOTERS, IGNORING BLACK VOTERS Whitsett called out prominent Black voices known for rallying the community’s vote for Democrats — specifically naming Al Sharpton and controversial Detroit pastor Horace Sheffield III, an El-Sayed campaign surrogate. She accused the pair of working to “keep the knee on [Black voters’] neck.” Whitsett said Black voters are “waking up” and are “realizing the power of our vote.” “You can see the serious divide of the crazy socialist far-left and especially the White women,” Whitsett said. “They are the worst and the most racist that there possibly ever could be. They’re, I think, they’re more racist than the KKK.” “Are you trying to help the Black community or are you trying to kill it?” she rhetorically asked. “Are you trying to keep people stupid and ill-informed or what? Because right now I can’t tell, right? Is this voter education or are you just trying to make sure you count your slaves on the plantation.” MICHIGAN GOP LAWMAKER CASTS DOUBT ON EL-SAYED’S SOCIALIST DENIAL AS POLICIES TELL ANOTHER STORY: ‘SHARP ODDS’ El-Sayed’s values aren’t aligned with hers, Whitsett said, adding that she doesn’t think he has the best interest of Black voters at heart, either. “I’m going to stand on Bible first, and I’m going to stand on community first,” she said. I don’t care about moving up within the Democratic Party. I don’t care about making sure my pockets are better.” El-Sayed’s campaign did not return Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Whitsett’s criticism of the candidate and the Democratic Party’s leftward shift. Whitsett is not running for re-election and will retire when her term expires at the end of the year. “I always try to be a voice of reason, and I’m not a go along, get along. So, my whole thing is it has to make sense, and I am definitely family over party. God over party is of the utmost importance,” she said. “So for me, when you point that out to people, it’s just common sense that to people, that’s just common sense that El-Sayed is not the candidate,” she continued. “There’s just no way. It doesn’t line up. It doesn’t line up Biblically, and it doesn’t line up with common sense.” Noting that she does believe everyone should have medical insurance, Whitsett harped on El-Sayed’s campaign promise of Medicare for All. She said the progressive candidate hasn’t adequately explained how that system will be implemented, and what it means for Americans when they visit the doctor. EL-SAYED TRIES TO MAKE PEACE WITH JEWISH DEMOCRATS BUT DRAWS LINE AT DUMPING HASAN PIKER “This Medicare for All, it’s not for all. It’s not going to change the dynamics of how many doctors there are, or nurses or blood draws or anything else. You’re now going to put the government in your health system, and they’re going to decide for you.” El-Sayed already finds himself in hot water for palling around on the campaign trail with socialist Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who said in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.” He has also praised Mao Zedong and Communist China, said capitalists should be murdered in the streets and is known for making antisemitic comments. El-Sayed has refused to condemn Piker, instead painting him as a “streamer from California” who has no bearing on the race in Michigan, despite inviting Piker to Michigan to campaign for him. Many Jewish Democrats in Michigan have vowed not to support the far-left candidate, saying in an open letter they feel “threatened and alienated by the politics and allies embraced by Abdul El-Sayed, which has included demonization of Jews, equivocation on terrorism, exclusion of Jewish Americans from public life, and expression of implacable hatred of the world’s only Jewish nation.”
Ex-Dem lobbyist for company that promoted addictive opioid clears key gubernatorial hurdle
Cinde Warmington secured the Democratic nomination in New Hampshire’s gubernatorial primary on Tuesday evening after running unopposed. Her nomination marks the second time she’s pursued the office as Warmington continues to face attacks over her work as an attorney for Purdue Pharma — the company that became notorious in the early 2000s for the development and marketing of OxyContin. The Republican Governors Association (RGA) called her connection to the drug disqualifying. NEW HAMPSHIRE CANDIDATE JOHN SUNUNU BLASTS DEMS FOR NOVING ‘FIRST IN THE NATION PRIMARY’ ON RUTHLESS “Based on her role in fueling the opioid epidemic and calling OxyContin a ‘miracle drug,’ Cinde Warmington is completely disqualified from being governor. Warmington chose a payday over protecting New Hampshire families,” the RGA told local outlets. Purdue faced public outrage, investigations and lawsuits over how it pushed OxyContin as a non-addictive drug while knowingly concealing its high potential for abuse. After years of lawfare, the company was required to pay a $7.4 billion settlement in May. Warmington, for her part, has called the attacks unfounded and said that she had only a limited association with Perdue. In a video titled “setting the record straight,” she addressed it head on. “My dad, who I loved very, very much, struggled with addiction,” she said. “We did not escape the opioid crisis.” “In 2001, when, as an attorney, I was assigned a case by a partner to represent Purdue Pharma … I was fighting for patients to get access to the healthcare that their doctors thought that they needed. What I did not know at the time was that Purdue Pharma was engaged in this massive criminal fraud — something that would only be exposed over years of litigation.” In the past, Warmington served on the New Hampshire Executive Council, representing the state’s 2nd district from 2021 to 2025. LIZ PEEK: DEMOCRATS’ AFFORDABILITY SCAM COLLAPSES IN STATES THEY ACTUALLY RUN She’s run for governor once before in 2024, losing out to Joyce Craig, the eventual nominee, in a 47.9% to 41.8% contest. Craig herself would go on to lose to Gov. Kelly Ayotte, the Republican in the race. In her 2026 campaign, Warmington has pitched herself as a foil to rising costs of living. Like many Democratic candidates in the 2026 primaries, Warmington has put pressure on Republicans for not doing enough on affordability. “The prices of houses, groceries, electricity and property taxes are crushing working families. And Kelly Ayotte is making your life more expensive. I know we can do better,” Warmington said in a campaign video. She shares some platform similarities with other Democrats. In addition to championing priorities like pushing back on Trump’s immigration crackdown through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), implementing guardrails for data center construction, and preventing investor groups from purchasing housing, Warmington has also appealed to voters across the aisle with promises to slash taxes. “I’ll make sure we don’t have a sales or income tax,” Warmington said. TRUMP SCORES MAJOR WIN AS CONGRESS PASSES HOUSING CRACKDOWN ON WALL STREET INVESTORS Having secured the party nomination, Warmington will face off against Ayotte in the state’s general election for governor on Nov. 3. Ayotte won election in 2024, defeating Craig 53.6% to 44.3%.
Wife of top ex-Biden advisor easily advances to House showdown in November
Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., won her primary to advance to a general election showdown in a Democrat-leaning seat comprising generally the western half of New Hampshire from Massachusetts to the Canadian border. Goodlander is the wife of former Biden National Security Adviser Jacob Sullivan, and won her first race for the seat in 2024 – succeeding the retiring Rep. Ann Kuster, D-N.H. While Republicans have dominated the governor’s office in New Hampshire in recent years, Democrats have been largely successful at the congressional level. The district has been in Democratic hands since 2013 and, prior to that, largely held by Rep. Charles Bass, R-N.H., who served two lengthy tenures interrupted by a Democrat in the mid-1990s. TRUMP SAYS US MAY RECOVER ALL THE EQUIPMENT LEFT BEHIND IN AFGHANISTAN BY BIDEN ADMIN Goodlander faced New Hampshire State Rep. Paige Beauchemin, D-Hillsborough, and there is also an independent running in the general election. The winner of a four-way Republican primary Tuesday night was Goodlander’s last opponent, Lily Tang Williams. Goodlander’s husband’s role in the White House was prominent, as Sullivan was front-and-center during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021, had a role in foreign relations during the early part of the Russia-Ukraine War and helped manage the U.S. relationship with China. ONE OF CONGRESS’ MOST POWERFUL DEMOCRATS JUST SURVIVED A PROGRESSIVE PRIMARY REVOLT SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER Beauchemin ran against Goodlander from the left, arguing the incumbent has not been sufficiently progressive or effective during her first term. The district is the more rural of the two, and includes cities like Pittsburg in the forests of northern New Hampshire. With neighboring Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., giving up his House seat to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., the political landscape in the Granite State will look much different no matter what come January.
Trump-backed candidate wins high-stakes GOP primary for New Hampshire battleground district
President Donald Trump scored a key victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, with his chosen candidate winning the GOP primary for one of the state’s two battleground congressional districts. Businessman Anthony DiLorenzo defeated Novel Iron Works owner Hollie Noveletsky and state Rep. Brian Cole to clinch the Republican nomination for the Granite State’s 1st U.S. House district. EX-NFL STAR BACKED BY TRUMP WINS BATTLEGROUND STATE PRIMARY: ‘TRUE AMERICA FIRST CONSERVATIVE’ The race has been contentious on both sides of the aisle for the open seat, which is currently occupied by Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., who is running for the U.S. Senate. STATE OF PLAY: DEMS BATTLE FOR SHOT AT CRUCIAL ARIZONA HOUSE SEAT AMID GOP’S RAZOR-THIN MAJORITY As a result of his U.S. Senate run, Pappas is leaving the House, opening a moderately blue seat that the nonpartisan Cook Partisan Voting Index rates D+2. That means it does lean in favor of Democrats, but the right Republican candidate could sweep come November. New Hampshire only has two congressional districts, with the 1st being the smaller of the two geographically. It includes part of southern New Hampshire, including Manchester, the state’s most populous city. New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District is notably a seat that former White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt ran for in 2022. Pappas defeated her by just under 10%. The three candidates running for the GOP nomination in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District largely overlapped on most issues during their debates. But the most recent face-off, hosted by local station WMUR earlier this month, saw DiLorenzo become a target over his stance on illegal immigration. Noveletsky and Cole both seized on DiLorenzo’s comments on “The Granite Discourse” podcast in which he suggested that deporting illegal immigrants should focus on felons and violent criminals over those who did not commit crimes since getting to the U.S., according to NHJournal. “Unlike Anthony, who is on record on Granite Discourse saying that if somebody came here illegally and was working that they should have a path, I disagree,” Noveletsky said during the debate. TRUMP KEEPS WINNING REPUBLICAN PRIMARIES; HIS LOSSES MAY BE MORE REVEALING DiLorenzo said he supported deporting people who came to the U.S. illegally and added, “I would start with the dangerous people, the criminals, the drug dealers, the human traffickers. The law is clear, and I support law enforcement and the enforcement of our laws.” Trump endorsed DiLorenzo in July, writing on Truth Social, “As a very successful Businessman and Entrepreneur, Anthony understands the America First Policies required to Create GREAT Jobs, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., and Champion our Nation’s Golden Age.” DiLorenzo was also endorsed by House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. Noveletsky, meanwhile, was endorsed by a slew of New Hampshire state officials as well as House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., according to her campaign website.