New York, New Hampshire | featured news

Jon M. Huntsman Jr., an early favorite of the pundit classes in Washington and New York who is now struggling to stay relevant, has bet it all on New Hampshire.

New York isn't North Korea, but it's the closest thing you'll find in the U.S. -- at least according to a new report from a libertarian think tank.A Mercatus Center study has pegged New York as the country's "least free" state, 49 slots behind "Live Free or Die" New Hampshire. Its authors gave the state particular abuse for its taxes, "by far the highest" in the country, according to their methodology.

A win certified Wednesday in the Senate primary in New Hampshire for a candidate backed by the Republican establishment helped offset earlier primary election victories in Delaware and New York by Tea Party-backed insurgents. In New Hampshire, former attorney general Kelly Ayotte was named the winner in the Republican primary for Senate, marking a narrow victory over conservative lawyer Ovide Lamontagne, who campaigned with the support of Tea Party activists. Ayotte had the support of the Republican Party and former Alaska governorSarah Palin in her bid for the seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Judd Gregg. Ayotte will face off in November against Rep. Paul Hodes, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary.