N.H. Senate candidate Jane Cormier accuses GOP county chair of 'stalking' her
In yet another sign of the fissure between GOP party regulars and conservative activists, state Senate candidate Jane Cormier (R-Hookset) has accused the chairman of the Belknap County Republican Committee of “stalking” her.
In a written statement, Cormier said county chairman Alan Glassman trespassed on her property in Alton and “surreptitiously” photographed her house and her husband’s truck in three separate visits.
According to Cormier, when Glassman was questioned by Alton police, he said he was there “documenting stolen signs.” Later that day, she said, Glassman emailed party members with details. “As I’m traveling around Belknap County, I’m noting sign locations, in case I receive word from a campaign that their signs are being damaged or removed,” he wrote. “This way, I may be able to assist them in addressing the problem.”
“The only sign located remotely near my former residence is on a distant property line,“ answered Cormier. "If Mr. Glassman was ‘documenting’ signs, why did he require three separate trips to photograph nothing? I understand that politics is not for the thin-skinned,” she continued, “however, what appears to be the stalking of one of its own strikes me as quite threatening.”
It’s not the first time Cormier and Glassman have clashed. In 2012, the two had a public disagreement over the wording on her campaign signs, which described Cormier as the “conservative” candidate. Glassman told the Laconia Daily Sun “he asked her to add the word 'Republican’ to the signs, reminding her of the line at the bottom of the placard reading 'paid for by the Belknap County Republican Committee.’” Cormier claimed that he asked her to remove the word “conservative” from her signs and she said she proudly refused.
After the 2012 election, Cormier opposed Glassman’s reelection bid and nominated GraniteGrok owner Skip Murphy for the post. Cormier’s husband, Carlos Martinez, seconded the nomination. Glassman withstood the challenge and was reelected.
The two again clashed publicly a few months later when Cormier, who represented Belknap District 8 in the state House of Representatives, announced she had withdrawn her financial support from the county committee and formed a new group, the Belknap County Conservative Republicans. Cormier denied her intent was to “undermine” the country committee but Glassman expressed skepticism. How could she withhold financial support and then claim not to be weakening the party? he asked.
In May, with backing from conservative activists, Cormier resigned her House seat and moved to Hookset to take on incumbent Sen. Dave Boutin (R-Hookset) in a contentious primary. In the latest incident, year-old video clips of Boutin arguing in a bar surfaced on GraniteGrok. In a subsequent interview with John DiStaso, Boutin was forced to acknowledge he “exercised poor judgment” and apologized to his constituents for the incident.