N.H. Young Republicans Federation loses charter over pre-convention squabble with N.H. GOP
The New Hampshire Young Republicans Federation has lost its charter as a result of a power struggle between members of the group and the New Hampshire GOP.
In April, Huffington Post’s Scott Conroy reported on a fight that erupted during the run-up to the NHYRF’s annual convention.
The drama began when NHYRF, which had 59 dues-paying members, received applications from 70 new members just days before the group’s meeting to elect new officers. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that the block of applications was accompanied by a $1000 personal check from N.H. GOP political director David Chesley, who was about to transition to the Rand Paul campaign.
Some members expressed concern that the state party, or the Rand Paul campaign, was attempting to take over the organization. Bob Burns, the two-time Executive Council candidate told Conroy he believed “top-level New Hampshire GOP officials” were attempting to block him from becoming chairman. Burns, an outspoken, self-described liberty candidate was running for the top position against state Rep. Joe Sweeney (R-Salem).
The three-person NHYRF credentialing committee invalidated the applications, ruling they arrived after the group’s deadline. At the same time, outgoing NHYRF chair Molly Sanborn contradicted the committee by claiming she had received the applications just before the deadline.
The state party weighed in with a threatening letter from attorney Mark Derby, who said he had been asked by party chair Jennifer Horn “to review the events” leading up to the meeting. Derby noted the group’s independence from the state party but warned “irregularities” could prevent the NHYRF chair from being seated on the party’s Executive Committee.
Sanborn adjourned the scheduled meeting before the election of officers took place. The Guardian’s Nicky Woolf, who was on hand to cover the chaotic event, described it as “[t]wo and a half hours of angry shouting, culminating in absolutely nothing getting done.”
in a subsequent series of Facebook messages, Burns reported the Young Republican National Federation has cancelled the group’s charter. He blamed Horn, for trying to take over the organization, and Sanborn, for going along with the scheme.
“The young Republicans was chartered under the national Federation of young Republicans, not the NHGOP. I received a letter from the NH GOPs lawyer Mark Derby affirming this,” Burns wrote. “Apparently Jennifer Horn had trouble reading that letter, and believes she is in charge of the young republicans.”
Burns continued, “So our former chair [Sanborn] decided that she would no longer associate herself with the national group and violate every bylaw that we had.”
The public bickering, noted Conroy, “underscores the dysfunction and petty score-settling that has become rife within New Hampshire Republican circles.”
Update: Added detail concerning NHYRF annual meeting.