Right to Work Candidate Loses NH Special Election

Last week, NH had yet another primary, for another special election caused by the resignation of yet another errant representative. From WMUR:

Hampton police said Rep. Gary Wheaton, R-Seabrook, was charged Tuesday morning after an officer tried to pull him over for speeding on Route 1 near the Route 101 interchange.
Police said Wheaton made a U-turn and went around a construction barricade when the officer tried to pull him over. When Wheaton stopped and the officer approached his car, Wheaton identified himself as a state representative and made some other comments to the officer, but police wouldn't say what those comments were.

Then there's this:

Wheaton said that he does not want to accuse anyone, but he's concerned that the traffic stops happened because he is a Republican who voted against collective bargaining.
"Any of those stops could conceivably be police officers knowing that I'm a Republican and I'm voting against what they want," he said. "So there's always that chance or that possibility. I can't accuse without evidence.

Wheaton didn't get pulled over for being a scofflaw. He got pulled over because the union thugs were out to get him. He has no legal complaint, so he chooses the passive aggressive accusation method.

That's not the best part though. Wheaton decided to run in the very special election he caused. This did not please the folks who are cognizant of how much work (and expense) goes into a special election. From theNewburyport Daily News:

State Rep. Koko Perkins, R-Seabrook, said Wheaton's decision to run after resigning because of legal problems is "absolutely absurd." Legislators must be held to a higher standard than most because they're entrusted with making the laws, he said.

So you'd think. This special election has been fraught with foolishness. Another of the GOP contenders was Max Abramson, who was also recently indicted on 8 counts of felony reckless conduct. From the Newburyport Daily News:

In late December, Abramson, a member of Seabrook's Budget Committee, was arrested following a report of gunfire on Charles Henry Way and charged with unauthorized use of firearms, reckless conduct and prohibited sales of alcohol.

and

Further investigation into the happenings of the night were undertaken by Seabrook police, who charge that Abramson, who has a permit to carry a handgun, fired it into his home's ceiling during a party that night.

The special election took place last week, and the results have really shaken up the GOP establishment in NH. From the Nashua Telegraph:

Seabrook firefighter Kevin Janvrin won the five-way GOP primary over favored Hampton Falls businessman Lou Gargiulo by 118 votes.

Firefighter? As in....union? Say it ain't so! The NH GOP big guns were behind Hampton Falls businessman Lou Gargiuolo. So were the out of state special interests:

The New England Right to Work Campaign also weighed in for Gargiulo, hoping to add to the total needed for House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vernon, to override Gov. John Lynch’s veto

Members of the current legislative majority are already getting ugly about this:

From

House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt’s Facebook Wall:
Rochester Republican Rep. Fred Leonard: “He deserves no support from the NHGOP … this guy is poison and we should turn our backs on him.”
Londonderry GOP Rep. Al Baldasaro: “Does anyone know if Kevin was a registered Democrat before he ran as a Republican? I too have concerns on why he ran because he is not happy on what we have been doing at the state house. Hmmm, am I missing something here?”

Yes, Al, you are missing something. The voters aren't happy with what you and your anti-union fellow legislators have been up to this session. They made it clear in May by electing Jennifer Daler in a special election held in Speaker O'Brien's district. They've made it clear by voting for Kevin Janvrin in Seabrook. It's no surprise that voters would reject two shady candidates with legal problems. Gargiulo had the full weight of the NH GOP establishment, AND the special interests behind him, and he still lost. There are a few more special elections coming up. Perhaps after a few more routs, these legislators will start hearing what the people are saying.


cross-posted at MainSt/workingamerica.org