• There's increasing concern that American politicians are growing too old in office.
• One congresswoman, 68, says she's retiring in part to "set a better example."
• "I'm just not the best gladiator for it right now," said Rep. Annie Kuster of New Hampshire.

As Americans grow increasingly concerned by the advanced age of top politicians, one retiring lawmaker is taking a different tack.

Rep. Annie Kuster, a 68-year-old Democrat who's represented a New Hampshire district for 12 years, told the Boston Globe that she's trying to make room for younger people in Congress.

"I'm trying to set a better example," Kuster said. "I think there are colleagues — and some of whom are still very successful and very productive — but others who just stay forever."

Kuster added that she's "not the best gladiator" to serve as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to reassume office and Democrats gird for at least two years of full GOP control of Congress and the White House.

She's set to be replaced by Maggie Goodlander, a 38-year-old Democrat who most recently worked in the Department of Justice under President Joe Biden.

According to the 2024 MassMutual Retirement Happiness Study, the average American retires at age 62, which is when early Social Security benefits become available. Many Americans work past that age, either due to financial pressures or a sense of fulfillment from work.

It's different in Washington, where lawmakers tend to be personally wealthy and driven by a sense of mission. They also grow more powerful the longer they stick around, due to the seniority system.

In 2022, Business Insider reported that roughly a quarter of lawmakers were over the age of 70. But while age limits are popular with the general public, they're highly unlikely to happen, owing to the difficulty of enacting constitutional amendments.

Democrats in particular have been reckoning with the perils of aging in the wake of their 2024 losses, which many attribute to the 82-year-old Biden's decision to continue running for reelection until a disastrous debate performance forced him out of the race in July.

In recent weeks, the party has elevated younger leaders to assume top positions on a series of House committees, replacing older or ailing members in their mid- to late 70s.

Still, the perils of gerontocracy continue to emerge.

This month, retiring Republican Rep. Kay Granger, 81, was revealed to be living in a senior living facility in her home state of Texas. She had not cast any votes since July.

Until she stepped down in March, she was the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, which oversees the entirety of the federal government's spending.

An appearance by Pete Buttigieg on Friday morning on New Hampshire talk radio is fueling ongoing speculation that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation in President Biden's administration may be mulling another White House run in 2028.

Buttigieg, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate who is considered a potential contender for the next nomination race, has made numerous radio appearances across the country during his four years steering the Department of Transportation, including a bunch in New Hampshire, which prides itself on being the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state.

But with President-elect Trump a month away from returning to the White House, and Democrats scrambling in the wake of November's election setbacks to find a path out of the political wilderness, Buttigieg's latest radio appearance in New Hampshire is grabbing increased attention as the extremely early preseason moves in the party's 2028 presidential primary race will soon start.

And the guest segment by Buttigieg on the statewide morning news-talk radio program "New Hampshire Today" is bound to spark more 2028 speculation.

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"The only thing I'm sure is next is a little vacation," Buttigieg said when asked by host Chris Ryan about his plans once his tenure as transportation secretary sunsets on Jan. 20.

Buttigieg said he and his spouse, Chasten, "are ready to spend a little time together. I'm ready to be around our three-year-old twins a little more, and I'm determined not to make any life decisions too quickly in the new year."

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"But I will find ways to make myself useful, and maybe that's running for office, and maybe that's not. I'll take the next few weeks and months to work through that," Buttigieg shared.

And he emphasized that "I know what I care about. I care about how communities, like the place where I grew up, find a better future. I care about how to make sure technology makes us all better off and not worse off. I care about how the infrastructure issues and opportunities I've worked on can develop. I care about public service. I care about our democracy, and I will find ways to work on that, whatever shape that might take."

Buttigieg, a former naval intelligence officer who deployed to the war in Afghanistan and who served eight years as mayor of South Bend, Indiana, was a longshot when he launched his 2020 presidential campaign. 

But his campaign caught fire, and he narrowly edged Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont to win the Iowa caucuses before coming in close second to Sanders in the New Hampshire presidential primary. But Buttigieg, along with the rest of the Democratic field, dropped out of the race and endorsed Biden as the former vice president won the South Carolina primary in a landslide, swept the Super Tuesday contests and eventually clinched the nomination before winning the White House.

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During his tenure as Secretary of Transportation, Buttigieg has made a handful of official visits to New Hampshire, most recently earlier this year. And two years ago, in a political trip, he headlined the New Hampshire Democratic Party's major autumn fundraising gala.

Asked in the interview whether he'll be returning to the Granite State in the near future, he quipped, "I'm sure I'll turn up before too long."

Buttigieg, in recent years, has also made regular appearances on the Fox News Channel to highlight the Biden administration's efforts. This year, he served as a high-profile surrogate on Fox News and elsewhere across the media landscape for Biden, and later for Vice President Kamala Harris, on the campaign trail.

After his 2020 presidential campaign, Buttiegieg moved from red-state Indiana to neighboring Michigan, which is a key battleground, and now calls Traverse City, Michigan, home.

In recent weeks, Buttigieg has fielded calls by some Michigan Democrats urging him to consider a 2026 run for governor, to succeed Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who is term-limited.

"I haven’t made any decisions about, big decisions about my future," Buttigieg told reporters earlier this month in Detroit, in a line that he would repeat in this week's New Hampshire radio interview.

CONCORD, N.H. – Presidential electors are gathering at state capitals across the country on Tuesday to cast their electoral votes in the 2024 election, a key step in formalizing President-elect Trump’s White House victory last month over Vice President Kamala Harris.

At the New Hampshire Statehouse, the state’s four electors cast ballots on behalf of Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, in a largely ceremonial vote. 

Harris edged Trump by roughly three percentage points to carry New Hampshire, the only swing state in New England.

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"This is the formal vote for President and Vice President of the United States," New Hampshire Secretary of State Dave Scanlan, who presided over the procedure, said. "Every state in the country right now is going through this process."

New Hampshire was one of four states, along with Indiana, Tennessee and Vermont, to lead off Tuesday's Electoral College voting.

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When Americans cast their ballots in a White House election, they’re technically voting for state electors committed to supporting their choice for president and vice president. The electors are expected to vote in accordance with the outcome of the popular vote in their state. 

The electoral votes from the states will be certified on Jan. 6 during a joint session of Congress. And Trump will be inaugurated as president two weeks later, on Jan. 20.

The political parties in each state choose their slate of electors ahead of the general election. 

Trump convincingly won the presidential election, winning the popular vote for the first time in three tries, and carrying all seven of the crucial battleground states that were heavily contested. 

The former and future president ended up winning the electoral vote, 312 to 226, over Harris.

A satanic "nativity" display involving an occult statue erected on Concord city property near the New Hampshire State Capitol was destroyed shortly after several vandalism incidents last week. Now, Democratic state Rep. Ellen Read is saying that the temple "probably should" get to erect a new display in its place.

"I think they probably should, because I think the vandalism and the hatefulness shouldn’t go without a response. But it’s up to them," Read said, the Catholic News Agency reported.

Read told the outlet she came up with the idea to suggest that The Satanic Temple (TST) put up the Christmas display, which was a statue of Baphomet – despite significant pushback from local officials – arguing that a Catholic groups' Nativity scene of Jesus should not be the only decoration there. She also said she is a member of TST but has not participated in any of its meetings or events. 

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According to its website, TST's mission "Is To Encourage Benevolence And Empathy, Reject Tyrannical Authority, Advocate Practical Common Sense, Oppose Injustice, And Undertake Noble Pursuits."

"We have publicly confronted hate groups, fought for the abolition of corporal punishment in public schools, applied for equal representation when religious installations are placed on public property, provided religious exemption and legal protection against laws that unscientifically restrict people's reproductive autonomy, exposed harmful pseudo-scientific practitioners in mental health care, organized clubs alongside other religious after-school clubs in schools besieged by proselytizing organizations, and engaged in other advocacy in accordance with our tenets," the website states. 

Avoiding a legal dispute over the First Amendment, the Concord City Council approved the organization's permit to show the display, despite the mayor saying earlier this week he wished the city had not approved it. 

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"I opposed the permit because I believe the request was made not in the interest of promoting religious equity but in order to drive an anti-religious political agenda, and because I do not respond well to legal extortion, the threat of litigation," Concord Mayor Byron Champlin said during the council's meeting last Monday. "Some on social media have celebrated the Satanic Temple’s display as a victory for religious pluralism and a reflection of our growing diversity as a community. I disagree with this. This is about an out-of-state organization cynically promoting its national agenda at the expense of the Concord community."

Meanwhile, the city put out a statement saying that due to the First Amendment and the potential for a lawsuit, the city was forced to choose between banning all holiday displays or allowing TST's statue.

"After reviewing its legal options, the City ultimately decided to continue the policy of allowing unattended displays at City Plaza during this holiday season and to allow the statue," the city said in a statement. "It is anticipated that the City Council will review next year whether permits for unattended holiday displays should be allowed at City Plaza."

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Read rebuked the mayor in an interview with the Catholic news outlet this week, saying, "I think it’s the narrow-mindedness of the mayor, who can’t seem to wrap his head around that this represents a large percentage of the community and its beliefs."

In a video posted to Facebook, two TST representatives unveiled the statue Monday. One spokesperson recalled the group's core tenets, before chanting, "Hail Satan!" and showcasing the statue. 

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Concord Deputy Police Chief John Thomas told a local news outlet that the investigation into who vandalized TST's property is ongoing. 

TST has erected several holiday displays near city or state properties, often alongside traditional Christian exhibits, in recent years. In 2022, the Illinois chapter of TST installed a holiday display in the state Capitol rotunda, which featured a crocheted serpent atop a book and a pile of apples. In December 2023, the Iowa TST chapter set up a Baphomet statue at the state Capitol, which was also vandalized shortly after its placement. 

NEWFIELDS, N.H. – After eight years in office, Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire is in his final weeks steering New England's only swing state.

Sununu announced last year that he wouldn’t seek an unprecedented fifth two-year term as governor. New Hampshire and Vermont are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial elections every two years.

And he's leaving office on a high note, with his approval ratings remaining firmly in positive territory.

So what's next for the 50-year-old Sununu, who eight years ago, when first elected, was the nation's youngest governor?

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"I'm excited to get back to the private sector. I like businesses, I like deal sourcing," the governor said in a Fox News Digital interview. "I'm not sure exactly what the private sector is going to bring, but I think it's going to be pretty exciting."

New Hampshire, a perennial swing state, will likely have a competitive Senate contest in 2026 when longtime Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a former governor, is up for re-election. And Sununu is likely to be courted by national Republicans to run for the Senate.

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But Sununu reiterated what he told Fox News Digital in July.

"Definitely ruling out running for the Senate in 2026. Yeah, definitely not on my dance card," he said.

But the governor predicted that Republicans will "have a good candidate. There's no question about it. A couple of different folks that might be interested in running. I think that'd be fantastic. We've had an all-Democrat [congressional] delegation for a long time. I think the people in the state… would love a different voice, would love just some sort of change."

Sununu, one of the more recognizable governors nationwide thanks to his regular appearances the past few years on the Sunday talk shows and cable news networks, mulled a Republican presidential nomination run before announcing a year and a half ago that he wouldn't seek the White House in 2024.

Asked if there's another run for office in his future, the governor said he's "not thinking about that at all, excited for the private sector. And that's all… that's in my windshield."

But he didn't entirely shut the door, adding, "We'll see what political chapters write themselves down the road."

Sununu will be succeeded as New Hampshire governor by Gov.-elect Kelly Ayotte, a fellow Republican and former state attorney general and former U.S. senator.

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The governor was a top surrogate on the campaign trail and on the airwaves for Ayotte, who pledged to continue the Sununu agenda.

Asked if Ayotte's nearly nine and half point win over former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig, the Democratic Party gubernatorial nominee, was also a victory for him, Sununu said, "It was a victory for New Hampshire."

"Kelly's going to be phenomenal. She has that experience as an attorney general, as U.S. senator. She understands how the systems work," Sununu emphasized. "Our transition is already going incredibly smoothly; discussions virtually every single day about all aspects of government, where it's going, how to build good teams and, most importantly… the opportunities to listen to what's happening in the communities."

Asked if he'd be offering advice to his successor, Sununu said "she'll have my cell number. I don't know if she'll need it, because I think she's going to be fantastic on her own, but she'll always have my cell number."

Sununu pointed to John Lynch and now-Sen. Maggie Hassan, his Democratic predecessors as governor, who Sununu said shared their cellphone numbers with him. He noted, "We want New Hampshire to be successful. So, it's not just me helping Kelly out. It is always a team effort. She's going to have a host of people that she can lean on for any advice when she needs it."

Roughly two months after barring parents who wore "XX" wristbands during a high school soccer game against a transgender athlete, a school district is confident in its decision to do so.

Anthony Foote of Bow, New Hampshire, told the New Hampshire Journal he had received a notice of trespass from Bow and Dunbarton School Districts Superintendent Marcy Kelley after he had worn armbands in support of biological girls-only sports to his daughter’s high school soccer game back in September.

Foote, his wife Nicole, Kyle Fellers, and Eldon Rash then filed a federal lawsuit against the Bow School District, Superintendent of Schools Marcy Kelley, Principal Matt Fisk, Athletic Director Mike Desilets, Bow Police Lieutenant Phil Lamy and soccer referee Steve Rossetti several days later.

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The "silent protest" at Bow High School, the lawsuit says, intended to "show solidarity" with the Bow team and oppose a policy that allowed a transgender girl to play on Plymouth's team.

Fellers and Foote testified Thursday that they hadn’t intended to harass or otherwise target a transgender player on the opposing team, but the school district said differently.

Kelley and Desilets believed that the protest wouldn't stop at just wristbands, saying they had received strongly worded emails from Foote in which he called himself a "real leader" who was prepared to take action. They also said Foote urged others to attend the game on social media.

In the days leading up to the game, another parent told school officials that she had overheard others talk about showing up to the game wearing dresses and heckling the transgender player.

"When we suspect there’s some sort of threat . . . we don’t wait for it to happen," Kelley said on Friday.

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Kelley also pushed back on the idea that the plaintiffs were simply expressing support for their daughters and the girls' teammates in general, noting that they had chosen the one game involving a transgender player to begin wearing the wristbands.

"This was organized and targeted," she said. "If we were to allow harassment, we’re liable."

A federal judge in the case, Steven McAuliffe, pushed back on the parents for repeatedly referring to the athlete as a boy on Thursday.

"You seem to go out of your way to suggest there’s no such thing as a trans girl," McAuliffe said during the hearing. 

The transgender player in question, Parker Tirrell, and another student athlete are challenging the state law that bans transgender athletes in grades 5 to 12 from playing on teams that align with their gender identity. A federal judge ruled in their case that they can play sports during the ongoing lawsuit that seeks to overturn the law.

Gov. Chris Sununu, who signed the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act into law in July, has said that it "ensures fairness and safety in women’s sports by maintaining integrity and competitive balance in athletic competitions." 

Fox News' Paulina Dedaj, Landon Mion, Jackson Thompson, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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MARCO ISLAND, Fla. — With his convincing White House victory this month, President-elect Donald Trump's grip over the Republican Party is firmer than ever.

But a popular Republican governor who has long been a vocal critic of the former and future president says that there's still room in the GOP for those outside of the MAGA and America First base.

"The party is a big-tent party. There's no question about it," Sununu said in a Fox News Digital interview this week along the sidelines of the Republican Governors Association winter meeting, which was held at a waterfront resort in southwest Florida.

Sununu, who was a top surrogate and supporter of former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Trump's final challenger in the 2024 GOP presidential primaries, backed the Republican nominee in the general election.

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"It was a huge victory across the country, and the people of this country have spoken very loudly and unequivocally," Sununu said of Trump's electoral college and popular vote victory.

And the governor acknowledged that Trump is "the standard-bearer of the party" and "the voice of the party."

"But this is a very large party. If it wasn't, he (Trump) wouldn't have won. If it wasn't, we wouldn't have had convincing wins all across this country in a variety of different states," Sununu said.

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Asked about the president-elect's flurry of announcements on Cabinet nominations this month, Sununu said that "he definitely has a couple of controversial Cabinet picks that … I don't mind saying I'm not the biggest fan of, but the vast majority of them are terrific." (Sununu was interviewed before former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., withdrew his name from consideration as attorney general amid a growing scandal.)

"He's bringing folks from the private sector, he's bringing in governors, he's bringing in folks that have real experience in all of these issues and that understand the mission, which is fiscal responsibility," Sununu said, "getting regulations out of the way, which effectively lowers costs on business, lowers costs on consumers, lowers costs for everyday citizens."

Sununu didn't stump on Trump's behalf in swing state New Hampshire, but he crisscrossed the campaign trail on behalf of down-ballot Republicans. The governor was a top surrogate for former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the GOP gubernatorial nominee who emerged victorious on Election Day and has pledged to continue the Sununu agenda.

Asked if Ayotte's nearly nine and half point win was also a victory for him, Sununu said, "It was a victory for New Hampshire."

"Kelly's going to be phenomenal. She has that experience as an attorney general, as U.S. senator. She understands how the systems work," Sununu said. "Our transition is already going incredibly smoothly; discussions virtually every single day about all aspects of government, where it's going, how to build good teams and, most importantly … the opportunities to listen to what's happening in the communities."

"She'll have my cell number. I don't know if she'll need it, because I think she's going to be fantastic on her own, but she'll always have my cell number," Sununu said when asked if he'd be offering advice to his successor.

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And pointing to his two Democrat predecessors as governor, who Sununu said shared their cellphone numbers with him: "We want New Hampshire to be successful. So it's not just me helping Kelly out. It is always a team effort. She's going to have a host of people that she can lean on for any advice when she needs it."

After mulling a 2024 White House run, Sununu announced in the summer of 2023 that he would launch a presidential campaign, and weeks later he also said he wouldn't seek an unprecedented fifth two-year term steering the Granite State. (New Hampshire and neighboring Vermont are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial elections every two years.)

"I'm excited to get back to the private sector. I like businesses, I like deal sourcing," he said. "I'm not sure exactly what the private sector is going to bring, but I think it's going to be pretty exciting."

New Hampshire will likely have a competitive Senate contest in 2026 when longtime Democrat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a former governor, is up for re-election.

But Sununu reiterated what he told Fox News Digital in July.

"Definitely ruling out running for the Senate in 2026. Yeah, definitely not on my dance card," he said.

But the governor predicted that Republicans will "have a good candidate. There's no question about it. A couple of different folks that might be interested in running. I think that'd be fantastic. We've had an all-Democrat [congressional] delegation for a long time. I think the people in the state, especially with Kelly's convincing win, would love a different voice, would love just some sort of change."

Asked if there's another run for office in his future, the 50-year-old governor said he's "not thinking about that at all, excited for the private sector. And that's all … that's in my windshield."

But he didn't entirely shut the door, adding, "We'll see what political chapters write themselves down the road."

New Hampshire Judge Steven McAuliffe presided over a case involving parents in the state who wore pro-girl armbands at a high school girls soccer game that included a transgender athlete. During the case, McAuliffe pushed back on the parents for repeatedly referring to the athlete as a boy. 

"You seem to go out of your way to suggest there’s no such thing as a trans girl," McAuliffe said during the hearing. 

McAuliffe's federal judicial service dates back to 1992, when he was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush. On Thursday, McAuliffe heard arguments in a case in which plaintiffs Kyle Fellers and Anthony Foote sued the Bow School District after being banned from school grounds for wearing the wristbands at their daughters' soccer game in September. 

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The wristbands said "XX" in reference to the natural female chromosomes. The "XX" logo has become an unspoken symbol of the ongoing legal and political battle against transgender inclusion in girls and women's sports across the country. Many consider it a women's rights phenomenon. 

The no-trespass orders have since expired, but McAuliffe is deciding whether the plaintiffs should be allowed to wear the wristbands and carry signs at upcoming school events, including basketball games, swim meets and a music concert, while the case proceeds.

They wore the wristbands because another federal judge in New Hampshire, Landya McCafferty, who was appointed to her seat by President Obama in 2013, ruled two transgender athletes would be allowed to play on high school girls soccer teams, overruling a state law in place to prevent that from happening. 

Fifteen-year-old Parker Tirrell, a transgender athlete, was allowed to compete for Plymouth Regional High School. In a lawsuit filed by Fellers and Foote, they alleged they were told by school officials to remove the armbands or they would have to leave the game. 

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Both of the fathers say the intention of the armband was not to protest Tirrell, but to support their own daughters in a game that featured a biological male. 

McAuliffe questioned the notion that the wristbands were in support of their own daughters.

"Sometimes the message you think you’re sending might not be the message that is being sent," he said.

McAuliffe asked Foote whether it occurred to him that a transgender person might interpret the pink XX wristbands as an attempt to invalidate their existence.

"If he’s a trans female, pink might be a color he likes," Foote responded.

Transgender inclusion in girls' and women's sports emerged as a mainstream political issue in the last few years. Instances of athletes discovered to be male and then legally protected to continue playing have emerged in rapid succession since the start of the Biden administration. 

This includes instances like those involving Tirrell in New Hampshire and others in Virginia and California. At the college level, a situation at San Jose State University involving a transgender volleyball player has prompted multiple lawsuits and a media firestorm. It became a talking point of Donald Trump's presidential campaign before his recent election win. 

Trump and even his wife, Melania, who has admitted to disagreeing with Republicans on issues of LGBT rights, each announced they are opposed to letting biological males compete in girls and women's sports. Trump advocated for a blanket ban during a Fox News town hall event on the campaign trail. 

Multiple states filed lawsuits and enacted their own laws to address the issue after the Biden-Harris administration issued a sweeping rule that clarified that Title IX’s ban on "sex" discrimination in schools covers discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation and "pregnancy or related conditions," in April. 

The administration insisted the regulation does not address athletic eligibility. However, multiple experts presented evidence to Fox News Digital in June that it would ultimately put more biological men in women's sports. 

The Supreme Court then voted 5-4 in August to reject an emergency request by the Biden administration to enforce portions of that new rule after more than two dozen Republican attorneys general sued to block the Title IX changes in their own states.

During the most recent election cycle, multiple Democrats, including Texas Rep. Collin Allred backtracked on past support for transgender inclusion in women's sports. 

That trend continued after the election when Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton spoke out against his party's stance and actions in enabling transgender inclusion in multiple interviews, inciting fierce backlash and even a massive pro-transgender rally outside his office. 

Now, multiple judges like McAuliffe across the country are presiding over cases about the eligibility of transgender athletes in sports. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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