Jodi Newell

Jodi Newell is a Democratic representative for the Cheshire 4th district of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, serving since 2022. She is based in Keene, New Hampshire.

Newell's advocacy work has been deeply shaped by personal loss. She lost her fiancé and the father of her two children to heroin overdose in 2008, which inspired her to become a longtime advocate for substance use treatment, prevention, and harm reduction. In honor of this loss, she co-organized the Monadnock Overdose Awareness Day vigil, which received unanimous support from the Keene City Council in 2023.

Before entering elected office, Newell worked with unhoused populations at a transitional shelter, recognizing the need for community advocacy. In 2021, she ran for Keene City Council At Large but narrowly lost that race. The following year, she successfully ran for her current seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

Political Experience

As a first-year legislator, Newell was the primary sponsor of HB287, legislation that decriminalized fentanyl and xylozine test strips in the state.

In her second term beginning in 2025, Newell sponsored two bills that passed:
- The Blue Envelopes Program, enabling drivers with Autism Spectrum Disorders and trauma-related disorders to identify themselves to law enforcement
- Legislation allowing municipalities to regulate the muzzling of demonstrably aggressive dogs in public

Newell serves on the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee and has cosponsored legislation related to housing and tenants' rights, healthcare, reproductive freedom, and mental health. She won her 2022 election with 66.8% of the vote.