Former GOP Gov Brings Receipts When CNN Host Questions If Ilhan Omar Is Antisemitic
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Republicans presented with Senate pickup opportunity as Democrat announces retirement
Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire announced Wednesday that she would not seek re-election in 2026, giving Republicans another opportunity to grow their Senate majority.
Shaheen has served in the Senate since 2009, flipping the previously red seat blue. Shaheen had also previously served as governor and in the state Senate.
'New Hampshire has a proud tradition of electing common-sense Republicans—and will do so again in 2026!'
"Today, after careful consideration, I'm announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek re-election to the Senate in 2026," Shaheen said in a statement Wednesday. "There are urgent challenges ahead, both here at home and around the world. And while I'm not seeking re-election — believe me — I am not retiring."
Although both Senate seats have been held by Democrats for the last few elections, New Hampshire has elected Republican governors since 2016, and Republicans have held on to a majority in the state Senate. Given the strong Republican voting presence in the state, the GOP has the opportunity to flip another key Senate seat.
"Another one!" Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said in a statement Wednesday. "Shaheen's retirement is welcome news for Granite Staters eager for new leadership. New Hampshire has a proud tradition of electing common-sense Republicans—and will do so again in 2026!"
Republicans flipped four Democrat-held Senate seats in 2024, electing Republican Sens. Tim Sheehy of Montana, Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, Bernie Moreno of Ohio, and Jim Justice of West Virginia. This leaves Republicans with a comfortable 53-seat majority to work with.
There has also been some speculation about a potential senatorial run by Republican former Gov. Chris Sununu. Although Sununu has been a past critic of President Donald Trump, he has since warmed up to the party leader and even endorsed him in 2024.
“I have not ruled it out completely, but folks in Washington have asked me to think about it and to consider it, and that is just kind of where I am,” Sununu told the New Hampshire Journal on Tuesday.
“I like getting stuff done,” Sununu said. “I don’t think they could handle me down there. I’d be like a lion in a cage.”
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New Hampshire Governor Signs No-Excuse Voter ID And Citizenship Law, But It Won’t Matter In 2024
The law will require New Hampshire voters to bring an ID to cast a ballot, as well as provide proof of citizenship in order to register.Boy can continue playing on girls' soccer team in New Hampshire after judge temporarily blocks new state law
A New Hampshire boy claiming to be a girl will be allowed to continue playing on a girls' soccer team after a federal judge granted an emergency request to block a new state law in his case for the time being.
On Sunday, the Fairness in Women's Sports Act went into effect in New Hampshire after Republican Gov. Chris Sununu signed it last month. The law prevents males in 5th through 12th grade from participating on sports teams designated for females only.
Under FWSA, New Hampshire parents can sue a school district that allows boys to play on girls' teams, the New Hampshire Bulletin reported.
'It takes a lot of nerve for a judge to block this good and just law in the immediate aftermath of SCOTUS striking the regime's malfeasance with Title IX on this same issue.'
On Monday, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Landya McCafferty, an Obama appointee, issued a temporary block in the case of a 15-year-old boy attending Plymouth Regional High School. Blaze News is not naming the boy and will refer to him only as P.T.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire sued on behalf of P.T. and a 14-year-old boy in the Pemi-Baker Regional School District, claiming that FWSA violated Title IX and constitutional equal protections.
Plaintiffs requested a "temporary restraining order" of the law in P.T.'s case since he currently plays on the girls' soccer team at Plymouth Regional and had practice on Monday night. They claimed missing practice would have a "permanent, stigmatizing impact" on him.
They further argued that P.T. and the 14-year-old plaintiff had no physical advantage over biologically female competitors since they have been taking puberty blockers to stunt their male development.
"They’re not going to be any faster or any stronger than typical girls," Chris Erchull, an attorney for GLAD, said in court.
Michael DeGrandis, an attorney for the state, did not contest that claim about physical advantage and even conceded that missing soccer practice would be "stressful and straining" for P.T. However, DeGrandis insisted that such stress and strain should not mean the law should not apply in P.T.'s case.
"Does that rise to the level of irreparable harm?" DeGrandis asked.
Judge McCafferty apparently believes it does. She granted the emergency restraining order and indicated that plaintiffs were likely to succeed on the merits of their lawsuit.
McCafferty further claimed that P.T. has "no physiological advantage" over his female counterparts on the athletic field because of the puberty blockers he has been taking. She insisted this was an "uncontested reality" and not a matter of personal opinion.
McCafferty's ruling applies only to P.T. since the 14-year-old plaintiff is not planning to participate in girls' sports until the winter.
Both sides of the lawsuit now must schedule a hearing to consider a temporary block of the FWSA for all of New Hampshire while the litigation process continues through the court system. That hearing is expected in the next few weeks.
"We are very happy with the judge’s order. It is also what we expected, because we know that this law is unfair and violates the rights of transgender girls of New Hampshire," Erchull stated after the ruling.
Not everyone in the state is cheering, however. Republican State Rep. Mike Belcher described the whole issue as "absurd" and argued that McCafferty's ruling not only overrides state law but a recent Supreme Court decision to allow states to ban men in women's spaces while Title IX cases continue.
"It takes a lot of nerve for a judge to block this good and just law in the immediate aftermath of SCOTUS striking the regime's malfeasance with Title IX on this same issue," Belcher told Blaze News.
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