New Hampshire

Actor Nicholas Braun, best known for his work in the hit HBO series “Succession,” began his Labor Day weekend with a run-in with New Hampshire law officials.

Moultonborough Police Chief Peter W. Beede announced in a Tuesday press release that officers arrested the 37-year-old actor Friday evening on suspicion of DUI-Impairment in the town of Moultonborough, N.H., about an hour north of the state’s capitol of Concord. Braun was also arrested on suspicion of driving at night without his headlights on.

The release did not share additional information about Braun’s arrest. Representatives for the actor did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

Braun was booked in Carroll County Jail and released on his own recognizance, according to TMZ. The outlet also reported that the actor will be arraigned Sept. 16.

In HBO’s “Succession,” Braun became a fan favorite for his portrayal of Cousin Greg, an outsider who manages to weasel his way into the core family’s business and the bid for aging media mogul Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) multi-industry empire. He received three Primetime Emmy nominations for the role.

Braun is also known for his work in Disney flicks “Sky High,” “Princess Protection Program” and “Minutemen.” His credits include “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” “Zola” and “Saturday Night.”

Rudolph W. Giuliani has been released from the hospital and “is progressing well” after being injured when the vehicle he was riding in was struck from behind on a highway in New Hampshire, a spokesman said Tuesday.

The former New York City mayor, 81, was injured Saturday shortly after stopping “to assist a person in urgent need of help,” spokesman Ted Goodman said in a statement.

“He has since been discharged from the hospital and deeply appreciates the love, well wishes, and prayers he has received,” Goodman’s statement said. “The mayor also extends his gratitude to the New Hampshire State Police, paramedics, Elliot Hospital, and all of the physicians and nurses who provided him with outstanding care.”

Goodman was behind the wheel, with Giuliani as a passenger, when their rented Ford Bronco was struck from behind on Interstate 93 by a Honda HR-V driven by a 19-year-old woman, New Hampshire State Police said in a statement. Both vehicles hit the highway median and were “heavily damaged,” the statement said.

Goodman and the 19-year-old suffered “non-life-threatening injuries” and were taken to hospitals, the agency said.

Giuliani was taken by ambulance to a nearby trauma center for treatment of a fractured thoracic vertebra, multiple lacerations and contusions, as well as injuries to his left arm and lower leg, according to a statement posted on X by Michael Ragusa, Giuliani’s head of security. The thoracic vertebrae are part of the spine.

State police said the cause of the crash was under investigation. No charges were filed.

Prior to the accident, Giuliani and Goodman “were flagged down by a woman on the side of the road, just south of Exit 9N, who reported to them she had been involved in a domestic violence incident,” state police said in a news release. Goodman reported the incident to law enforcement and he and the former mayor remained at the scene until troopers arrived.

The reported domestic violence and crash were believed to be unrelated, investigators said.

“Thank you to all the people that have reached out since learning the news about my Father,” Andrew Giuliani, Rudy Giuliani’s son, wrote in a post on X. “Your prayers mean the world.”

The onetime Republican presidential candidate was dubbed “America’s mayor” in light of his leadership in New York after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.

Giuliani later became President Trump’s personal attorney and was a vocal proponent of Trump’s allegations of fraud in the 2020 election, which was won by Democrat Joe Biden. Trump and his backers lost dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud, and numerous recounts, reviews and audits of the election results turned up no signs of significant wrongdoing or error.

Two former Georgia elections workers later won a $148-million defamation judgment against Giuliani. As they sought to collect the judgment, the former federal prosecutor was found in contempt of court and faced a trial this winter over the ownership of some of his assets. He ultimately struck a deal that let him keep his homes and various belongings, including prized World Series rings, in exchange for unspecified compensation and a promise to stop speaking ill of the ex-election workers.

Thompson writes for the Associated Press.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Democratic National Committee is seriously considering scrambling the party’s 2028 presidential primary calendar. And South Carolina — the state that hosted the Democrats’ first-in-the-nation contest in 2024 — is far from a lock to go first.

That’s according to several members of the DNC’s new leadership team, including Chair Ken Martin.

“The idea that we’re just going to sort of rubber-stamp the same old calendar, that is not likely what’s going to happen,” Martin told the Associated Press.

Followed closely by political insiders, the order of each party’s state-by-state presidential nomination process has major implications for the economies of the states involved, the candidates and ultimately the nation.

The changes may come even as the next presidential primary has already begun — informally, at least. Half a dozen presidential prospects have already begun to make early pilgrimages to the states that topped the calendar last time — South Carolina, New Hampshire and Iowa chief among them.

The would-be candidates may need to amend their travel schedules.

Why the ‘early states’ may change

Although Democrats and Republicans have the power to change their calendar every four years, the same batch of states — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada — have dominated the process for decades.

Democrats, led by then-President Biden, gave South Carolina the opening position in 2024 instead of Iowa and New Hampshire in a nod to the party’s loyal base of Black voters, while adding Georgia and Michigan to the so-called early window.

But now a new group of party officials is governing the calendar process. Martin earlier in the year replaced former Chair Jaime Harrison, a South Carolina native. And 32 of the 49 members of the powerful Rules and Bylaws Committee, which will vote on any new calendar before it moves to the party’s full body, are new to the committee.

“We’re not as tied to the way we’ve always done things,” said DNC Vice Chair Shasti Conrad, who is a newcomer to Rules and Bylaws and also chairs the Washington state Democratic Party.

“A priority for me is that there are large communities of color in those states,” Conrad said.

Which states could replace South Carolina?

As Democratic officials gathered in Martin’s home state of Minnesota for their summer meeting this week, there were several private conversations about whether South Carolina, which is a reliably Republican state, should be replaced by another Southern state that is considered a swing state in the general election. North Carolina and Georgia are considered the early favorites if a change is made.

Martin himself said South Carolina could lose its top spot. But he expressed confidence that a state with a large Black population, if not South Carolina, would be featured prominently in the Democrats’ next nomination process.

“Clearly, the most reliable constituency of the Democratic Party are Black voters, and they will have a prominent role in the selection of our nominee,” Martin said. “And whether it’s South Carolina or some other states, rest assured that making sure that there’s a state in the mix that actually will battle test your nominee with African American voters is really critical to making sure we can win in November.”

States are lobbying for spots

Leaders from several states hoping to claim an opening slot began making their cases in private conversations with influential DNC members this week. Others have begun to speak out publicly. Officials from Nevada and Iowa have advocated for themselves more publicly in recent days.

Nevada Democrats released a memo on Wednesday arguing that Nevada should win the top spot in 2028 if the party “is serious about winning back working-class voters.”

“Given the challenges we are facing to rebuild our party brand, we cannot afford to have overwhelmingly college-educated, white, or less competitive states kick off the process of selecting our party’s nominee,” wrote Hilary Barrett, executive director of the Nevada Democratic Party.

Harrison said he would “fight like hell” to ensure South Carolina stays first in 2028.

“If you take a look at every presidential primary we’ve had over the last 20 years, South Carolina has been a better predictor than Nevada, Iowa or New Hampshire in terms of picking” the eventual nominee, Harrison said. “And that is because our people are not ideological. … No, a majority of Black voters are not conservative or progressive. They’re pragmatic.”

Harrison noted that while South Carolina went first in 2024, there was no real competition for Biden.

“I think it’s a big slap in the face if you say that you don’t even give South Carolina an opportunity to be first in the nation at least one time in an open primary process, right?” he said.

What’s next in the process

The debate won’t be decided this year.

The Rules and Bylaws Committee will host a meeting in September to formalize how the calendar selection process will play out. Martin said a series of meetings would follow throughout the fall, winter and into next spring.

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley, one of the few veterans who retained their seat on Rules and Bylaws, noted that New Hampshire is bound by state law to host the nation’s opening presidential primary election regardless of the DNC’s wishes.

New Hampshire, of course, bucked the DNC’s 2024 calendar. Iowa in recent days has threatened to go rogue as well in 2028 if it’s skipped over again.

“Everyone has the opportunity to make their case,” Buckley said. “New states, interesting states, will make their case. And I have faith that the process will be fair.”

Peoples writes for the Associated Press.

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire will not seek reelection next year, a decision that will end the longtime senator’s historic political career and deals a significant blow to Democrats, who were already facing a difficult path to reclaiming the Senate majority.

Shaheen, who turned 78 in January, was the first woman elected to serve as both a governor and senator in the United States. She announced her decision in a video posted on social media.

“Today, after careful consideration, I’m announcing that I have made the difficult decision not to seek reelection to the Senate in 2026,” she said. “It’s just time.”

Even before Shaheen’s move, Democrats were facing a challenging political map in next year’s midterm elections — especially in the Senate, where Republicans hold 53 seats compared with the Democrats’ 47, including two independents who caucus with Democrats.

The party that controls the Senate majority also controls President Trump’s most important political and judicial nominations — and his legislative agenda.

At least for now, Maine represents the Democrats’ best pickup opportunity in 2026. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, the sole GOP senator remaining in New England, is the only Republican serving in a state that Trump lost who’s up for reelection.

Democratic retirements give Republicans more opportunities to go on the offense.

Beyond Shaheen in New Hampshire, Michigan Sen. Gary Peters and Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith have announced plans to retire, giving the GOP pickup opportunities in three purple states where Trump was competitive last fall. And Republicans are especially optimistic about Georgia, where incumbent Democrat Sen. Jon Ossoff is expected to face a tough road to reelection.

Shaheen has been a political force in New Hampshire for decades and climbed through the ranks of Senate leadership to serve as the top Democrat on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She likely would have been easily reelected had she sought another term.

Congressman Chris Pappas is among the Democrats who may run to succeed Shaheen.

On the Republican side, former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, who served as ambassador to New Zealand during the first Trump administration, was considering a New Hampshire Senate bid even before Shaheen’s announcement. Brown challenged Shaheen unsuccessfully in 2014.

New Hampshire has narrowly favored Democrats in recent presidential elections, but the state has a long history of electing leaders from both parties. Republican Kelly Ayotte was elected governor last fall, when Trump lost the state by fewer than 3 percentage points.

Still, a Republican has not won a Senate seat in the Granite State since Ayotte back in 2010.

“No Republican has won a Senate race in over a decade in New Hampshire, and that trend will continue in 2026,” said David Bergstein, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. “This is exactly the kind of state where the building midterm backlash against Republicans will hit their candidates especially hard.”

Shaheen became the first woman to be elected New Hampshire governor in 1996. She served for three terms and was later elected to the Senate in 2008.

“There are urgent challenges ahead, both here at home and around the world. And while I’m not seeking reelection, believe me, I am not retiring,” Shaheen said. “I am determined to work every day over the next two years and beyond to continue to try and make a difference for the people of New Hampshire and this country.”

Peoples writes for the Associated Press.

The election of Republican Kelly Ayotte as New Hampshire’s governor means 13 women will serve as a state’s chief executive next year, breaking the record of 12 set after the 2022 elections.

Governors hold powerful sway in American politics, shaping state policy and often using the experience and profile gained to launch campaigns for higher offices.

“It matters to have women in those roles to normalize the image of women in political leadership and even more specifically in executive leadership, where they’re the sole leader, not just a member of a team,” said Kelly Dittmar, director of research at the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer was floated as a potential Democratic nominee for president after President Biden exited the race. Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem was thought to be in the running for President-elect Donald Trump‘s vice presidential post.

Ayotte, a former U.S. senator, defeated the Democratic nominee, Joyce Craig, a former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. New Hampshire’s was one of the few competitive gubernatorial races among the 11 on ballots this year.

Still, 18 states have never had a woman in the governor’s office.

“This is another side of political leadership where women continue to be underrepresented,” Dittmar said. “Thirteen out of 50 is still underrepresentation.”

With two women vying for governor in New Hampshire, a new record for female governors was inevitable. The state has a long history of electing women. As a senator, Ayotte was part of the nation’s first all-woman congressional delegation. It was also the first state to have a woman governor, state Senate president and House speaker at the same time, and the first to have a female majority in its Senate. Ayotte will be the state’s third woman to be governor.

“Being a woman isn’t really that critical to her political persona,” Linda Fowler, professor emerita of government at Dartmouth College, said of Ayotte.

Both Ayotte and Craig said their gender hadn’t come up on the campaign trail although reproductive rights often took front and center. In her campaign, Craig attacked Ayotte’s record on abortion, and both candidates released TV ads detailing their own miscarriages. Ayotte said she will veto any bill further restricting abortion in New Hampshire, where it is illegal after 24 weeks of pregnancy.

When Ayotte is sworn in, five Republican women will serve as governor at the same time, another new high. The other eight are Democrats.

The states currently are led by women governors are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and South Dakota.

New Hampshire’s was one of the few competitive gubernatorial races among the 11 this year. More inroads or setbacks for women’s representation could come in 2026 when 36 states will elect governors.

Most voters tend to cast their ballots based on party loyalty and ideology rather than gender, Dittmar said. However, she noted female candidates often face layers of scrutiny that male counterparts largely avoid, with voters judging such things as a woman’s intelligence, appearance and even dating history with a sharper lens.

The small gain for women in the gubernatorial office comes as Vice President Kamala Harris failed in her effort to become the first female president.

“I would not suggest to you that Kamala Harris lost a race because she was a woman, because she was a Black and South Asian woman,” Dittmar said. “We would also fail to tell the correct story if we didn’t acknowledge the ways in which both gender and race shapes the campaign overall, and also had a direct effect on how Kamala Harris was evaluated by voters, treated by her opponents and even in the media and other spaces.”

Executive roles, especially the presidency with its associations like commander in chief, often carry masculine stereotypes that women must work harder to overcome, Dittmar said.

Experts say women confront these perceptions more acutely in executive races, such as for governor and president, than in state legislatures, where women are making historic strides as leaders, filling roles such as speaker and committee chairs.

“Sexism, racism, misogyny — it’s never the silver bullet,” said Erin Vilardi, CEO of Vote Run Lead, a left-leaning group that supports women running for state legislatures. “But we have so much of that built in to how we see a leader.”

Associated Press writer Volmert reported from Lansing, Mich., and Govindarao reported from Phoenix. AP writer Holly Ramer in New Hampshire contributed to this report.