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Why these nine in New Hampshire must resign – out of touch and out of bounds

By Ray Buckley - Guest Columnist | Jul 4, 2020

During my time in New Hampshire politics – as a state representative for eight terms and as the New Hampshire Democratic Party chair for 13 years – I’ve had the privilege of working with fantastic legislators who represent Granite Staters from Pelham to Pittsburg and everywhere in between. While I’ve seen how Democrats continue to work every day to fight for Granite Staters, I’ve also seen how the Republican Party has devolved further into a party that protects legislators who have made sexist and racist remarks, who have broken the law, and who don’t represent the values of New Hampshire. Specifically, there are nine Republican legislators who have said or done things that are not only out of touch but are out of bounds and should disqualify them from public office.

First, they have made sexist remarks that should disqualify them from public office. Rep. Betsy McKinney who represents Londonderry refused to attend a sexual harassment prevention training and joked she would be “extremely flattered” if she was sexually harassed and that she only harasses her State House seatmate. Rep. Al Baldasaro who represents Londonderry gained national attention and was the subject of a secret service investigation when he said Hillary Clinton should be “shot for treason” and he tried to keep the New Hampshire marriage age at 12. And Rep. John Burt who represents Deering, Goffstown, and Weare wrote that women who walk alone at night are to blame for their sexual assaults. These comments are despicable and set back the progress that’s been made to implement a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment in the State House.

Second, they have made racist and anti-Semitic comments that should disqualify them from public office. Rep. Werner Horn who represents Franklin and Hill posted on Facebook, “owning slaves doesn’t make you racist” and that slavery was a “business decision.” Rep. Baldasaro tweeted a racist comment to Senator Kamala Harris, saying “stop using the race card” and “rumor has it Kamala that you are not African American.” Rep. Jordan Ulery who represents Hudson and Pelham told reporters that, by being “different,” Jews were to blame for the Holocaust. Rep. Ken Weyler who represents Hampstead and Kingston said providing food stamps to Muslim-Americans is “treason.” Senator David Starr who represents northern New Hampshire posted a racist review of the movie Black Panther in which he laments the absence of “white face.” Racism has no place in the State House, or New Hampshire, period. The comments made by these legislators are shameful and they do not speak for the legislators who are committed to making New Hampshire a more inclusive state.

Finally, they have broken the law. Rep. Howard Pearl who represents Loudon and Canterbury was charged with sexual assault for “forcing himself” on a 15-year-old. Rep. Jim Spillane who represents Deerfield, Candia, and Nottingham was indicted for strangling his partner at the time and causing a car crash while she was driving. It is truly horrifying to think that these men remain in the legislature after these serious transgressions.

This behavior continues to happen because Chris Sununu and the New Hampshire Republican Party have allowed it to. They refuse to take meaningful action to hold these legislators accountable. At most, they offer a half-hearted disagreement with the words and actions by these legislators only after their behavior has made national headlines and embarrassed our state. And the fact that these nine legislators remain in office makes it all the more likely that other Republicans will be emboldened by their behavior and continue to tarnish the reputation of the New Hampshire legislature.

The words and actions by these Republicans are not reflective of the values of New Hampshire, or of the Granite Staters they’re supposed to represent. As a state, we cannot allow some Republican politicians to further perpetuate a culture where someone can remain an elected official after making racist and sexist remarks or breaking the law. New Hampshire deserves better. These nine legislators should resign immediately – or voters will take matters into their own hands at the ballot box this November.

Ray Buckley is the New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair.

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