.png)
Concord, N.H. - NHDP Chair Ray Buckley issued the following statement in reaction to Representative Gene Chandler becoming the Republican nominee for New Hampshire Speaker of the House: "Congratulations to the New Hampshire House Republicans for nominating one of the most deeply scandalous and embarrassing public figures in modern New Hampshire history. Gene Chandler pled guilty to a misdemeanor for hiding cash gifts he received from lobbyists, looked the other way on a sexual harassment scandal that costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, threw fundraisers to cover his own personal expenses, faced corruption lawsuits, and suffered an expulsion recommendation from the Legislative Ethics Committee. Because they have nowhere else to look, Republicans are now entrusting this disgraced former Speaker with the most powerful legislative seat in the state and asking him to make wise decisions with Granite Staters taxpayer dollars when he can't even manage his own money without tripping over a scandal. Chandler's electoral record as Speaker is impeccable, ending in 2004 alongside 1-term governor Craig Benson and resulting in the longest run of Democratic governors in New Hampshire since before the Civil War. Governor Sununu must be thrilled."
###