One week before candidate summit, N.H. GOP removes controversial platform section from website
As 19 likely Republican presidential candidates prepare to descend on the state for the New Hampshire GOP “First-in-the-Nation Republican Leadership Summit,” the party has quietly removed a controversial section from the party platform on its website.
The most controversial items removed from the website include support for a personhood amendment (“Support a Life at Conception Act guaranteeing the protections of Life and Personhood to the pre-born under the Fourteenth Amendment of the US Constitution”) and opposition to marriage equality (“Recognize marriage as the legal and sacred union between one man and one woman as ordained by God, encouraged by the State, and traditional to humankind, and the core of the Family”).
The deleted Application of Principles section also describes opposition to sustainable development (”Oppose laws and programs contrary to our founding principles such as the International Baccalaureate Program, UN Agenda 21 or other ‘sustainable development’ programs”) and support for legislation outlawing Sharia law (”Take any and all actions possible to protect against the implementation of any part of Sharia law in New Hampshire, including legislation outlawing Sharia law”).
New Hampshire Right to Life president Jane Cormier noticed the missing items and demanded the party post the deleted section in a “prominent place” on the website.
The former state representative posted an open letter on Facebook addressed to N.H. GOP chair Jennifer Horn and the NHGOP. “I cannot locate the full 2014 Republican Platform on the NHGOP site,” Cormier wrote. “I also find it regrettable that the Application of Principles is missing as this was the most crucial portion of the NH Republican (delegate-voted) platform.”
“There are many who believe the COMPLETE Republican Platform needs to be in a prominent place on this NHGOP website,” Cormier continued. “Please let me know what you intend to do about this.”
The party delegates adopted the revised platform at its convention on September 20, 2014. Walt Havenstein, the party’s gubernatorial candidate and U.S. Senate nominee Scott Brown immediately distanced themselves from the controversial planks.
The two-day “First-in-the-Nation Republican Leadership Summit” begins Friday in Nashua. The party expects 500 to 600 Republican activists to attend. They’ll be joined by more than 100 members of the national media.
04/14/2014 Update: N.H. GOP has updated their website. The “Statement of Principles” page now includes the “Application of Principals” section, which contains the controversial platform items.
