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Jack Kimball

Jack Kimball

New Hampshire GOP Chair Resigns Under Pressure


New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Jack Kimball

New Hampshire Republican Party Chair Jack Kimball, who won his post in the key presidential primary state earlier this year with the help of Tea Party activists, resigned the same office Thursday night at a meeting of the state party executive board -- following pressure for him to step down due to problems with fundraising and personnel, and just before the board was expected to officially vote him out.

The Concord Monitor reports:

"Don't do it, Jack!" yelled a supporter as Kimball made his announcement last night inside a Holiday Inn conference room in Concord, where onlookers gathered around a long table seating the 36-member executive committee.

"I have come to the conclusion that even if, during a vote, if I were to win - and I know the odds are against that - it would be next to impossible for me to fulfill my obligations as chairman moving forward given what's been against me," Kimball said. After speaking for four minutes from the head of the table, he received a standing ovation from the executive committee and those in attendance.

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Topics: Jack Kimball, New Hampshire

New Hampshire

New Hampshire GOP Chair Defies Calls For His Resignation


New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Jack Kimball

New Hampshire Republican Party Chair Jack Kimball, who won his post earlier this year with the help of Tea Party activists, has dug in against calls from state GOP leaders for him to resign as a result of problems with the party organization.

"I won't step down. I will go to that meeting and they will look me in the eye and they will vote," Kimball declared at a press conference Thursday, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports. In the face of a possible removal, Kimball also urged the board to "vote conscience instead of politics...I plead with them not to pick this fight."

The state GOP has had fundraising and personnel problems this year, since Kimball took over, and has also lost a number of special elections for the state legislature. In response, numerous state GOP leaders, including freshman Sen. Kelly Ayotte, have called upon Kimball to resign.

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Topics: Jack Kimball, Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire, William O'Brien

Jack Kimball

Reports: NH GOP Delegation To Call For Removal Of State Party Chair


New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Jack Kimball

Updated: August 25, 2011, 10:00AM

Kimball is set to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. ET, the Associated Press reports. The exact topic of the press conference has not been announced.

Earlier report:

Members of the New Hampshire GOP congressional delegation are on Thursday morning reportedly expected to sign and send a letter to NH GOP Chair Jack Kimball seeking his removal from office.

CNN reports that letter will be sent by Sen. Kelly Ayotte, and Reps. Frank Guinta and Charlie Bass.

The state GOP has had fundraising personnel problems this year, since Kimball took over, and has also lost a number of special elections for the state legislature.

The state Republican chairman in New Hampshire who won his post earlier this year with the help of Tea Party activists, earlier this week aired a striking allegation: That the Republican Governors Association effectively sought to blackmail him into resignation, due to recent problems the state party has suffered -- and that they allegedly held up $100,000 for the state party, conditional on his leaving.

On Monday, the conservative state blog GraniteGrok published the allegation, that top state Republican leaders had met with Kimball this past Friday to convey the message from the RGA, that they would donate $100,000 to the state party -- if he resigned.

Kimball then confirmed the account to newspapers, with the RGA denying it.

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Topics: Jack Kimball, NH State GOP, New Hampshire

Jack Kimball

Is NH Republican Jack Kimball Jumping On The Nullification Bandwagon?


Jack Kimball (R), candidate for New Hampshire Governor

Jack Kimball, who is running for Governor in the Republican primary in New Hampshire, is hosting an event this weekend with special guest Michael Boldin, founder of America's Tenth Amendment Center. This "tenther" group touts state sovereignty and nullification -- the idea that a state can override a federal law it deems unconstitutional (a notion that has been consistently rejected in federal courts).

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Topics: Jack Kimball, John Lynch, NH-GOV, Nullification, Tenthers

NH-SEN

PPP Poll: Ayotte Trouncing Rivals in GOP's NH-SEN Primary


US Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)

A new PPP (D) survey of the New Hampshire Republican Senate primary finds Kelly Ayotte cruising in first with a huge lead over other would-be Republican nominees. The poll has Ayotte with 47%, rival Bill Binnie with 14%, and the other contenders mired in the single digits.

Ayotte's lead in this PPP poll is the largest she's had. A Magellan poll from late May gave Ayotte only a nine-point leader over Binnie, and a PPP poll from April put Ayotte's lead at 24 points.

The TPM Poll Average shows former state Attorney General Ayotte with a general election lead of 48.1-38.2 over Democratic Rep. Paul Hodes.

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Topics: 2010 elections, Bill Binnie, Frank Emiro, Jack Kimball, John Stephen, Karen Testerman, Kelly Ayotte, NH-GOV, NH-SEN, Polls