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Susan already covered this, but a follow-up article from Roll Call really underscores the point.
While VPOTUS Wannabe T-Paw basically tried to purchase the entire state house, the only person POTUS Wannabe Sarah Palin really cared about in New Hampshire after her endorsement of Kelly Ayotte was Frank Guinta.
While media attention to Frank Guinta's mystery bank account scandal began in August, it wasn't until NHPR's investigation on October 12th that it really reached its height during the campaign season, especially as it was followed up by a segment on WMUR on the 13th. I remember this distinctly as it was the first time my non-politically obsessed friends asked me about it, which in turn told me it had finally broken through
Sarah Palin chose to help out Frank Guinta, and no other Granite State Republicans, on October 14th or after.
Besides being the recipient of Sarah Palin's largesse, Frank Guinta has since the election also distinguished himself in the national press as one of four congressional Republicans entering DC with pre-existing campaign ethics scandals.
Shea-Porter told Roll Call last week that she is considering another bid. And the New Hampshire Democratic Party said Kuster has already decided to run again.
This makes perfect sense to me - and it would save Joe Taxpayer a bit of money too:
A group of House Democrats has released a letter to Republican congressional leaders calling on them to announce which of their members will be forgoing their congressional benefit health insurance (which is subsidized by the government) in light of their party's opposition to health care reform overhaul legislation.
"If your conference wants to deny millions of Americans affordable health care, your members should walk that walk," four Democrats write in the letter,
Here's a new member of that congress - from Frank Guinta's issue page:
"Health care needs reform - not a government takeover."
Frank Guinta opposes the government-run health care scheme that requires government to write a blank check it can't cover and threatens the quality of our care.
Given the multiple bank accounts worth between $250,000 and $500,000 Congressman-Elect Guinta insists are his, he can likely afford health care that isn't a "government-run scheme."
Right after the election, Frank Guinta told the Concord Monitor that he'd be joining a newly formed Tea Party Caucus in Congress.
Then Beth LaMontagne Hall reported that Guinta would be heading "to Washington on Nov. 14 for orientation."
Hmm... turns out that's when the Tea Party Patriots orientation for frosh members is. Which brings us to the fiasco (h/t TPM):
Tea Party Patriots, one of the largest coalitions of tea party advocates, released to supporters the personal cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses of freshman Republican Members who the group thinks are in danger of being "co-opted" by D.C. insiders.
In an e-mail to supporters that was also posted Thursday on IronMill.com, Tea Party Patriots leader Jenny Beth Martin accused the Claremont Institute, a conservative think tank, of trying to lure the freshman lawmakers away from the tea party movement by hosting orientation programs that conflict with those scheduled by the tea party group.
A look at the letter (I'm not linking to it) urges the Tea Partiers to call Frank Guinta and Charlie Bass directly. The Bass connection is especially ironic, since, after telling the Tea Partiers their agenda was "exactly the same as mine," post-election he doesn't want to have anything to do with the TP caucus.
Our first district Congressman-Elect was lucky on the timing here. Imagine if the Tea People had been ordered to contact Guinta after learning he opposes cutting a form of government welfare.
Does Congressman-Elect Frank Guinta really think an election will put to rest the fact that he has not explained how $355,000 he gave to his campaign was really his to give?
Mike Brunelle for the Monitor, boldface mine:
Recently, the FEC requested additional copies of the complaint and source materials filed by the New Hampshire Democratic Party. We are complying with this request and will do the same for any future requests that are made. This was not an election year issue. We are committed to ensuring that Granite State citizens are told the truth, that justice is served, and that if Congressman-elect Guinta broke the law, he and anyone else involved is held fully accountable.
...The fact is, we have no idea where this money came from.
...But if the money came from anywhere but Guinta's own savings, then federal law has been violated.
...That is why we will continue to pursue this issue to the fullest extent of the law, or until Guinta releases his bank statements proving that this money was not an illegal campaign contribution, and that he hasn't violated the public trust.
All Frank Guinta needed to do to prove the $355,000 was on the up-and-up was show a simple bank statement.
That he refuses to do shows we may well be heading towards the tragic spectacle of a sitting US Congressman from New Hampshire embroiled in scandal.
This was brought up before, but now that the election is over, it's worth revisiting. Here are the NRCC and DCCC spending totals for NH-01:
NRCC: $1,025,398
DCCC: $9,116
Every penny of that NRCC money, btw, was spent in oppposing Carol rather than promoting Congressman-Elect Frank Guinta.
Some pundits are wondering why the Shea-Porter campaign spent so much time on Guinta's hair-on-fire scandal rather than staying positive. The reason is clear. Aside from NHDP, and some scattered grassroots assistance, there was no one else to do it. And evidence showed clearly that once voters knew about it and understood it, they were totally turned off from Guinta. In the meantime she was relentlessly pounded by NRCC and various outside groups like Revere America.
Carol Shea-Porter's opponent had (and has!) a significant and bi-partisan campaign finance scandal plaguing him. The most powerful right-wing institution in New Hampshire, the Union Leader, refused to endorse him. The former Republican officeholder in the district said he should drop out.
On the flip side, Carol, unlike so many of the Blue Dogs the DCCC spent money on, stuck her neck out for the President's agenda time and time again in the service of bettering the lives of Americans. In a tough district, but in one that decisively voted for the President in 2008.
This race was the DCCC's bread and butter. This is why they exist. And they made a decision to be MIA.
And now New Hampshire will be stuck with the spectacle at some point in the future of an embattled Congressman embroiled in an ethics and very possibly criminal situation. You mistake who I am if you think I will be happy about that.
Fire Chris van Hollen from DCCC and whatever circle around him made the decision to abandon one of Congress' finest public servants.
Until that happens, I see no reason why anyone from New Hampshire's first district should give a penny to DCCC ever again.
Tell your Republican friends in the first CD that the most important right-wing institution in this state refuses to support the Republican nominee in their own district.
Incredible.
Time to vote for "the rest of us." Vote Carol Shea-Porter!
I'll revise and update if I'm wrong, but as of the morning before election day I do not see an endorsement of former Manchester Mayor and Republican congressional nominee Frank Guinta from the state's largest, most right-wing, most Manchester-centric newspaper.
The New Hampshire Union Leader has rejected Frank Guinta. (Of course the relentlessly right-wing UL would never endorse Carol - so let's not pretend there is some phony equivalence game to play here.)
Let me repeat that: the New Hampshire Union Leader has rejected Frank Guinta.
The most important and influential right-wing institution in the state of New Hampshire refuses to endorse the Republican nominee for Congress in its own district.
I can only imagine that, in an alleged wave that gives Republicans a chance to take over that congressional seat, the only thing keeping the Union Leader from doing its part to help the GOP would be the fact that Frank Guinta cannot adequately explain the ownership of the $355,000 he put into his campaign.
This tells me in no uncertain terms that, win or lose, the story of Frank Guinta's mystery money is NOT GOING AWAY. And if he wins, New Hampshire could well be facing the shame of a disgraced congressman.
Let's make sure he doesn't win:
GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help.GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
Instead of the usual .pdf, Pindell has it behind a paywall, which is kind of a bummer. (FWIW, I will paste the email announcement of the poll in full below the fold.)
CD1:
Carol Shea-Porter: 39%
Frank Guinta: 46%
Other: 5%
Undecided: 12%
Guinta remains under 50%, undecideds/"others" are high, Carol is closing the gap, and, per Pindell, among independent/undeclared voters, "Two weeks ago Shea-Porter trailed by 10 to her Republican opponent Frank Guinta, now she trails by just 1 percentage point."
In this poll, only 36 respondents identified as between 18 to 34 years of age. 167 are identified as Democrats, 53 as independents, and 199 as Republicans.
CD2:
Annie Kuster: 43%
Charlie Bass: 40%
Other: 6%
Undecided: 11%
In this poll, only 32 respondents identified as between 18 to 34 years of age. 194 are identified as Democrats, 60 as independents, and 178 as Republicans.
Spread the word - we can and we will keep these two house seats so long as we empty the tank and give it everything we have. Leave no stone unturned. Call your neighbors and friends. Get your neighbors and friends to call their neighbors and friends. Get out that vote!
GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help.
Call the Kuster campaign at 603-230-2415 to find out how to help. GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
In 2008, after returning from a second tour in Iraq I got out of the Army and looked to
make a return to Democratic politics by finding a tough race and hitting the campaign
trail. As a veteran and a Democrat, I couldn't be prouder that I found my way to New
Hampshire to help send Carol Shea-Porter back to Congress.
Knowing the First District in New Hampshire well, I'm not surprised that Carol's
constituents are experiencing frustration similar to that of voters across the country. But
in a year where it is critical that voters chose someone that's on their side- someone that
will fight their heart our for them, I can't believe they're remotely considering not voting
Shea-Porter on Tuesday.
Carol has been 'fighting for the rest of us,' the middle class, since day one of her first
campaign, and she's never stopped. She is a tireless advocate for our nation's veterans,
has gone above and beyond to protect the health and well-being of future veterans, and
regardless of whatever may be on TV, doesn't think twice about standing up to anyone
in Washington that gets in her way and sticking up for the 'bottom 99%.' (Trust me- I've
seen it first hand).
If I wasn't committed to getting out the vote elsewhere this November 2nd, there is no
doubt I would be on the ground in Manchester right now fighting for Carol. After all,
she's never stopped fighting for me. But, since you happen to be in New Hampshire,
please do me a favor and make one more call, knock on one more door, and talk some
sense into your confused neighbors before they make one of the biggest mistakes of their
lives.
This Election Day, when voters go to the polls- whether they are Democrat, Republican
or a 'Live Free or Die' Independent, they should ask themselves one simple question:
Who's on my side? And, if we've all done our best to help get Carol's message out, even
in the midst of a such a difficult year for Democrats, I can't see how she doesn't emerge
victorious.
So please, in these last 48 hours, dig deep, put whatever you can in life to the side for
just these last couple of days and help make sure Carol wins. She deserves your best,
you deserve her as a representative, and I need Carol Shea-Porter to return to Congress to
keep fighting for us veterans and my friends still serving.
-Allison Jaslow
Now GOTV:
GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV! GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help. ALL HANDS ON DECK: WE CAN WIN THIS RACE!
Here it is, the Sunday before election day, and the Union Leader, New Hampshire's most right-leaning, Manchester-centric, statewide newspaper has so far refused to endorse former Manchester Mayor and Republican Frank Guinta for Congress.
I'm guessing this is a big reason why:
Think a Union Leader endorsement doesn't matter to the GOP base?
Union Leader: While the rise of Ovide Lamontagne and Rich Ashooh were due to many factors you have to give credit to editorial page of the Union Leader for endorsing both and giving them extra conservative credibility.
Think New Hampshire isn't in play?
The Democratic National Committee transferred loads of cash to state parties across the country in a final get-out-the-vote push as they attempt to save the House from slipping from Democratic control and face multiple competitive Senate contests.
...The states where Democrats are spending are home to some of the closest and most critical contests on Tuesday.
New Hampshire: $200,000
GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help. ALL HANDS ON DECK: WE CAN WIN THIS RACE!
You would think an instinctively right-wing, Manchester centric, statewide newspaper would have endorsed former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta by now, despite conspicuously rejecting him in the primary.
But unless I missed something, the Union Leader has been suspiciously quiet.
Speaking of which - GOTV!
Call NHDP at 603-225-6899 to find out how to help.
Call the Shea-Porter campaign at 603-531-9653 to find out how to help. ALL HANDS ON DECK! WE CAN WIN THIS RACE!
Frank Guinta, on the other hand, is a tad less transparent than that:
When challenged about the [mystery] account, Guinta called it an oversight. He has yet to release his bank statements to show where the money came from.
...Several answers have come to the fore since the issue arose, including the money being revenue from selling off investments, and then that it was just Guinta's personal income.
...Under this law, a violation of the False Statements Accountability Act carries a criminal penalty of a fine and up to five years in prison.
Wayne Wiggin, a gas station attendant in town and registered Republican, said he didn't vote for Shea-Porter in 2006 or 2008 and doesn't plan to this year. He said he opposes the stimulus package and health care reform law.
"I can't afford to have her and her buddies running the show all the time," Wiggin said. "It's costing me too much money."
Wiggin said nothing has actually changed in his personal finances but "you can see it coming."
Meanwhile, even some leaning in Carol's direction think she voted for the bank bailout, according to the Monitor piece.
Our media, and the citizenry's relationship to it, is largely broken.
Florist Dawn LaBow said she voted for Guinta both times he ran for mayor and thinks he helped make the city safer. But she was still undecided yesterday, nagged by concerns about a bank account worth between $250,000 and $500,000 that Guinta failed to initially list on his campaign disclosure forms.
"That's not pocket change," she said. "I like him, but I'm worried about that money."
Sarah Fleming, a 24-year-old who works and lives downtown, said she wouldn't vote for Guinta after seeing an ad this week highlighting his firm pro-life stance.
"That just completely floored me," she said. "From that time on, I was just like 'no.' "
One clarification for Ms. LaBow - Manchester was less safe under Mayor Frank Guinta:
Crime has increased dramatically with Guinta serving in City Hall. In fact, since 2008, burglaries have gone up over 30% and violent crime is up almost 10%. (Manchester Police Department, "Crime Data," accessed 1/21/10)
Guinta has slashed law enforcement funding that would strip the Manchester police of 11 officers. (New Hampshire Union Leader, 4/22/08)
As for the request by NHDP for a criminal investigation into Guinta's magical bank accounts, US Attorney John Kacavas is not offering comment yet on whether or not he will proceed.
Makes sense, since he seems to be all about the (mystery) benjamins anyway:
The former Manchester mayor, who is looking to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional district, was scheduled to tour the (Daniel Webster) campus at noon Thursday, and to address students and area residents later in the afternoon.
But campaign officials canceled the event after they were invited to a Manchester luncheon for Republican gubernatorial candidate John Stephen, featuring Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, head of the Republican Governors Association, according to Guinta spokesman Brett Bosse.
Sorry first-time voters of New Hampshire. Frank's just not that into you when a Deep South presidential wannabe with ties to out-of-state millions is around. After all, you can't run your campaign wholly on mystery money for too long without attracting attention.
UPDATE: OK, now Frank Guinta's priorities make even more sense. The Fix:
The RGA, fueled by Republican momentum nationwide and Chairman Haley Barbour's (Miss.) deep connections in the world of donors, raked in $31 million between July 1 and Sept. 30.
Adding: As usual, Kathy's the smartest one in the room. He's just hiding at this point from uncomfortable questions about the money and chossing friendly crowds. But does Frank Guinta really think the controversy over his magical bank accounts will end after the election? Does he lack that much forethought?
A longer version of the breaking news is now out from AP:
"His refusal to produce such documentation is a breach of public trust and invites the inference that a significant illegal campaign contribution in the $250,000 to $500,000 range occurred," Brunelle said.
...Brunelle said the U.S. attorney's office was an appropriate choice to handle an investigation because it can obtain banking documents quickly that would resolve the matter.
And here's a bonus pic from a viz today I found floating the intertubes:
Even if you can't stand Shea-Porter's politics, don't argue that she's anything less than genuine. She ran as an unknown in 2006 as an advocate for the middle class and has been true to that. She stands by her record and is honest with her answers, even when it's unpopular.
...The Rochester Democrat supports extending the Bush tax cuts for middle-class Americans and repealing them for the wealthy. Guinta supports extending the tax cuts for all Americans, including the richest 2 percent, adding an estimated $700 billion to the deficit.
The daughter of a World War II veteran, Shea-Porter has established herself as a tireless advocate of the state's veterans, an example of her impressive constituent services record.
CONCORD, N.H. --The director of the New Hampshire Democratic Party is asking for a criminal investigation into Republican Congressional candidate Frank Guinta's (GYIHN'-tah's) financial disclosures.
In a letter provided to The Associated Press, Mike Brunelle asks U.S. Attorney John Kacavas to investigate whether Guinta lied on his financial disclosure statements, a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.
Guinta, who has loaned his campaign $355,000, added a previously unreported bank account to a financial disclosure form in July.
Either we learn now or, if he wins, New Hampshire gets embarrassed later with the spectacle of a resignation in disgrace.
