Republican Liberty Caucus: Ayotte is a miscreant who neither understands nor respects N.H. House
Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire chair Aaron Day has written a blistering response to U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte and other senior Republican leaders who endorsed Gene Chandler for state House Speaker. Day, who also leads the Free State Project, followed his group’s endorsement of former Speaker Bill O'Brien with a written release blasting the “GOP bigs-wigs:”
On November 12, 2014 a group of six “big name Republicans” besmirched themselves and their party by attempting to interfere in the Speaker’s race. The six signers of the letter urged the election of Chandler to the Speakership. By doing so, they actually gave good reason why the new Republican majority should vote for Bill O'Brien.
Three of the miscreants—Kelly Ayotte, Charlie Bass, and Steve Merrill—have never been members of the New Hampshire House, and have neither understanding nor respect for the institution and its independence. Another signer is Doug Scamman, a notorious turncoat who in 2004 betrayed his own party by scheming with the Democrats to get himself elected Speaker. It is nothing short of scandalous that this betrayer of the Republican Party should be signing a letter in favor of Gene Chandler. Except for Kelly Ayotte, who should know better, these people are yesterday’s Republicans trying to pull strings for their old friend Gene Chandler. By sticking their noses into the Speaker’s race, they disgrace themselves and show why the new Republican majority should most definitely elect Bill O'Brien to the Speakership.
Day praised O'Brien as a leader with a “history of the success and leadership ability.” Chandler, he wrote, has an “uncomfortable history of multiple violations of House ethics rules, criminal misdemeanor charges, censure by the House, and a recommendation from the House Ethics Committee that he be expelled.”
The RLCNH chair was responding to the letter of endorsement, posted online by the Union Leader, in which Ayotte and the others warned of electoral fallout from an O'Brien speakership. “As we have learned in the past,” the six leaders wrote, “our tone, our message and our actions will be center stage as to whether Republicans will earn the right to continue to govern.”
The party leaders who endorsed Chandler in the letter included Ayotte, former Govs. John Sununu and Steve Merrill, former Congressman Charlie Bass and former House Speakers Doug Scamman and Donna Sytek.