Rochester Republican ends House campaign following publication of inflammatory remarks
Former state Rep. Don Leeman has announced that he is ending his campaign to represent Rochester Ward 6 in the New Hampshire House. “This sort of stuff is NOT for me,” he wrote (and subsequently deleted) on his campaign Facebook page.
Leeman’s announcement comes four days after Miscellany Blue published public comments from the Rochester Republican in which he explained his opposition to same-sex marriage with a series of inflammatory comparisons: “Do they allow people who are mentally retarded to get married? I don’t think so, and the reasons are probably quite valid,” he wrote. “Do we allow humans to marry their pet goats? Of course not! Do we allow adult humans to marry infants? Same answer.”
The Miscellany Blue story was widely shared on social media and elicited a torrent of criticism including a bitter tweetstorm from Leeman’s daughter, who has gone on to achieve fame in California as “edgy blogger sensation SciBabe.”
“He’s my father and he’s just as crazy now as he ever was,” Yvette d'Entremont wrote. “This is [an] accurate representation. He cheated on my mother with a transexual hooker while screaming anti-gay bigotry. Do you want more? BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT GODDAMN MORE.”
“Told people that my mother took his children from him,” she continued. “We were 18 and 21 and hated him. He’s all ‘pull yourself up by bootstraps,’ has declared bankruptcy, lives on state aid. Also, he stalked my mother off and on for 15 years.”
Leeman: ‘I don’t need this aggravation’
Leeman, who is under indictment for bribery and witness tampering, did not go into detail about why he is suspending his campaign but cited the “stress” and “aggravation” of the race.
“I don’t need this aggravation. And with all this stress, it is affecting my health….which is not good in the first place,” he wrote. “The doctor has warned me about stress limits, and I generally take his advice. He knows his business.”
Despite suspending his campaign, Leeman’s name will appear on the ballot in November. “Actually, the ballots have already been printed, and there is no way to change them,” he explained. “The reason is that they also print up the absentee ballots, and many have been handed out already. At this point in time, there is no way to change that.”
“But I said I would suspend my campaign and I intend to abide by that,” Leeman promised. “No more door-knocking. (And no, I have not taken out any ads in any newspaper, magazine, television, or radio. It was going to be a low-budget campaign just like it was 2 years ago, when I was elected the first time.)”
