Free Staters take credit for Bill O'Brien win, announce plan to primary Kelly Ayotte
House Republicans today picked Bill O'Brien to be their nominee for Speaker by a 116-112 vote. Members of the Free State Project, who claim to have won 20 seats for the 2015-2016 session, took credit for O'Brien’s win over former Speaker Gene Chandler. On Ron Paul Forums, one early mover described the Free Staters’ role in O'Brien beating the “establishment guy:”
Bill O'Brien won the Republican Caucus nomination for Speaker of the House again today. He was speaker for 2011-2012. A race he won because the free staters in the NH House voted for him. His strong leadership resulted in perhaps the most libertarian state house of representatives in modern history. Not only were many great bills passed, but the state budget was cut by 11%, something that hadn’t happened in the US since the WWII era.
Democrats took control of the NH House for 2013-2014. The Republican Minority Leader during that time was an establishment guy. With Republicans winning back control of the body, there was a rematch today between Bill O'Brien and the establishment guy. Bill won by 4 votes. With 20 free staters in the NH House, they more than covered the difference.
Free State Project chair Aaron Day has already identified his next target: Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who endorsed Chandler for the House speakership. “We don’t need supposed Liberty candidates selling out on the false belief they will get elected,” Day wrote on Facebook. “We need real, principled leadership from the top of the ticket down.”
“I am just wondering. [Who] do you think lives in NH and is Liberty minded enough for you that has any chance at all beating Ayotte in the primary?” asked Michael Biundo, Rand Paul’s chief strategist for New England.
“Fred flintstone,” replied Day. “But seriously, I have two candidates that I am not in a position to disclose publicly.”