President-elect Donald Trump selected a 27-year-old Atkinson, New Hampshire native to be the next White House press secretary: Karoline Leavitt.
Leavitt is set to take the role once Trump assumes office on January 20, 2025. She will replace Karine Jean-Pierre, who has held the position since May 2022. Leavitt will be the youngest-ever White House press secretary, according to WTHR.
Here are five things you should know about Leavitt:
1. Chased History
Leavitt rose to political prominence during her unsuccessful run for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Hampshire’s First District in 2022.
Leavitt may have lost the race against incumbent Democrat Chris Pappas, 54 percent to 45.9 percent, but she made a name for herself running as a 25-year-old pro-Trump candidate; 25 is the minimum age to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. Had she won, she would’ve been the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress; Democratic socialist U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) currently holds that record, as she took office at 29 years old in 2019.
During her congressional bid, Leavitt supported free speech school vouchers, building more border wall, letting states decide their abortion laws, and opposed red flag gun laws and critical race theory in public schools, according to her campaign web site.
2. Former College Athlete
Leavitt is an ex-college athlete. She played softball at Saint Anselm College (NCAA Division 2 school in Goffstown, New Hampshire) in 2016 and 2017, before switching her focus to politics.
In 53 games over those two seasons, the outfielder hit .201 with three home runs and a .559 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage).
3. Once Hit A Grand Slam
Though she’s from New Hampshire, Leavitt attended high school in Massachusetts. She went to Central Catholic, a co-ed school in Lawrence, Massachusetts.
She excelled in softball at Central Catholic and was a Merrimack Valley Conference all-star her senior year (2015). She played third base in high school, before switching to the outfield in college.
Leavitt even once hit a grand slam for Central Catholic; she did so in a 13-0 win over Lawrence High School on April 24, 2013. She was a sophomore at the time.
4. Radio Career
You may have heard Karoline Leavitt on WRKO AM 680 before.
That’s because she was a fill-in host for the Howie Carr Network in 2023.
Not only did she occasionally fill in for Howie Carr, but she spent much of the summer of 2023 filling in for Grace Curley, who was on maternity leave.
5. New England Young Conservatives
Leavitt is also on the board of directors of an organization called New England Young Conservatives, alongside Grace Curley, and National Review content manager Emma Foley (formerly of Howie Carr Radio Network). Massachusetts Republican State Committee members Jaclyn Corriveau of Peabody and Timothy Smyth of South Boston are the organization’s co-presidents.
“Regardless of your political affiliation or preferred candidate, we warmly welcome everyone who values limited government and responsible fiscal practices,” the organization’s web site says.
The organization has hosted meetup events for right-leaning people, donated baby supplies to crisis pregnancy centers, and endorsed political candidates; some candidates the organization endorsed include Plymouth County Commissioner Jared Valanzola (R-Plymouth) and state representative-elect Ken Sweezey (R-Pembroke), among others.
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