NH GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen said, “The New Hampshire Republican Party extends our congratulations to Chris Nevins for running a great campaign. It’s easy to read too much into Special Election results, but this victory points to the fact that 2008 will be an equilibrium election. In 2006, the political pendulum swung too far to the left in New Hampshire and we lost seats like this one in Hampton where Republicans can perform well. Fiscal responsibility was a major issue in this race. Gov Lynch and the Democrats in Concord have demonstrated that they are the party of higher taxes, higher spending, budget deficits, and fiscal mismanagement. If Chris Nevins’ election is any indication, Democrats will have a tough time holding on to their already tenuous grip on the legislature this November.”

From the Hampton Union : “Democrats rode disfavor of President Bush and federal Republicans to victory in 2006 that gave them majority control of the state. Despite proclamations from Democrats that they crafted a responsible budget, the $50 million deficit falls to them. Even if their revenue projections were sound but felled by unforeseen elements of a national recession and unanticipated prolonged softening of the housing market, the deficit is theirs. Many state Democrat candidates in 2006, took up the traditional Republican position of fiscal conservatism that would keep the state in the black. They collectively failed to deliver on that campaign promise. So, the choice in this election is the Republican. Based on the first term of Democrats' control, Concord could use another Republican. If the two are going to espouse Republican fiscal conservatism, at least that of the Granite State, wouldn't independent voters be better off voting for the candidate of that party?” (Editorial, “Spending Makes Nevins Choice For Hampton’s State Rep.” The Hampton Union , February 1, 2008)

“Today’s Union Leader stories make clear that Representatives Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter have used taxpayer dollars to send targeted, politically-driven mail from their Federal congressional offices at taxpayer expense.”

“They purchased a political list from the New Hampshire Democratic Party using tax dollars, and used that list to send taxpayer-funded mail to targeted voters.”

“Hodes, Shea-Porter, and the New Hampshire Democrats can’t have it both ways. New Hampshire Democrats say it’s legal to sell the voter file for campaign-related purposes. If that’s true, what were Hodes and Shea-Porter doing with the list in their congressional offices except using it for campaign-related purposes at taxpayer expense?”

KEY EXCERPTS FROM THE UNION LEADER STORIES:

HODES, SHEA-PORTER USED A POLITICAL LIST TO SEND FRANKED MAIL

• “Both congressional offices last year directly or indirectly purchased from the state Democratic Party the state-generated voter mailing lists, which, under state law, should be made available only to entities that use them solely for ‘election or political campaign’ purposes.” (John DiStaso, “Mailings Targeted To Boost Political Fortunes?” The Union Leader, January 4, 2008)

• “Shea-Porter purchased the list directly from the Democratic Party last May for $5,000, according to official House disbursement records and the state party's financial report to the Federal Election Commission.” (John DiStaso, “Mailings Targeted To Boost Political Fortunes?” The Union Leader, February 4, 2008)

• “Hodes chief of staff [Matt] Robison said his office ‘does not own the voter list’ of the state Democratic Party. But records show a printing firm hired by his office, Smith-Dunlap-Edwards, purchased the list from the state party last June 26 for $5,000, two weeks after Hodes’s office had paid Smith-Dunlap-Edwards $5,000 for ‘publication/reference material,’ according to an official House publication of congressional disbursements.” (John DiStaso, “Mailings Targeted To Boost Political Fortunes?” The Union Leader, February 4, 2008)

POLITICAL MAILING COST THE TAXPAYERS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

• “Hodes' office paid the same firm $29,580 for ‘Mass Printing #1’ on July 25 and $1,000 for ‘publication/reference material’ on Aug. 28.” (John DiStaso, “Hodes Won’t Say How Much He Spent,” The Union Leader, February 3, 2008)

• “Hodes is far from alone when it comes to franking. His New Hampshire Democratic colleague, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, spent $63,270 on production and about $80,000 on postage for four mass mailings - a total of about $143,000 - during 2007, according to chief of staff Harry Gural.” (John DiStaso, “Tax Dollars Paid For Slick Mailings,” The Union Leader, February 4, 2008)

• “Kyle Anderson, a spokesman for the House Administration Committee, which oversees ‘franked’ publicly funded mass mailings, told the New Hampshire Union Leader in an e-mail: ‘Official mailings may only be distributed on a non-, non-political basis and official mailing lists may not include any party affiliation, voter history by party or campaign information.’” (John DiStaso, “Mailings Targeted To Boost Political Fortunes?” The Union Leader, February 4, 2008)

• “Shea-Porter chief of staff Harry Gural said that in four mailings sent last year, ‘New Hampshire veterans, plus seniors over a certain age, got the veterans piece. Seniors got the senior piece. People under 50 got the environmental piece. All households got the year in review.’” (John DiStaso, “Mailings Targeted To Boost Political Fortunes?” The Union Leader, February 4, 2008)

MOST TRANSPARENT CONGRESS? PAUL HODES WOULDN’T SAY HOW MUCH HE SPENT

• “While Rep. Carol Shea-Porter's chief of staff disclosed that her office spent $143,000 on production and mailing costs for four franked mass mailings in 2007, his counterpart in Rep. Paul Hodes’s office refused to provide similar information.” (John DiStaso, “Hodes Won’t Say How Much He Spent,” The Union Leader, February 3, 2008)

• “Matt Robison of Hodes’s office declined to provide copies of Hodes's four Quarterly Mass Mailing Reporting Forms, which congressmen are required to submit to the House Administration Committees’ finance office every three months. And he declined to simply say in an interview how much was spent.” (John DiStaso, “Hodes Won’t Say How Much He Spent,” The Union Leader, February 3, 2008)

CONCORD – New Hampshire GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen issued the following statement today about President Bush’s decision to issue an Executive Order directing federal agencies to ignore certain earmarks approved by Congress:

NH GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen said, “Congressmen Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes said they were going to Washington to end earmarks and instead they have sought them. The Democrats promised change but instead we got more of the same. I call on Representatives Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes to join with the President to block ‘bridges to nowhere’ and ‘monuments to me.’”

Carol Shea-Porter and Paul Hodes have terrible records when it comes to Earmark Reform

Shea-Porter’s Office Claims That There Is A Difference Between “Good” And “Bad” Earmarks. “Earlier in the week, Shea-Porter's press secretary Clark Pettig addressed the issue. ‘People sometimes confuse “good” earmarks with “bad” earmarks,’ he said.” (Adam D. Krauss, “Shea-Porter Won’t Disclose Earmarks,” Foster’s Daily Democrat , June 25, 2007)

Meanwhile, Shea-Porter Has Refused To Disclose Her Earmark Requests. “Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter says she won't disclose her ‘earmark’ spending requests until they're acted upon.” (Etienne Vallée, “Carol Shea-Porter Wants To Make A Difference,” Carroll County Independent , March 15, 2007)

Shea-Porter Calls Her Requests “Perfectly Legitimate, Good Things To Do.” “Falling in line with the vast majority of her colleagues, Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter says she won't disclose her ‘earmark’ spending requests until they're acted upon. . . . Though she wouldn't disclose the number or sum of her requests, Shea-Porter did say she submitted a request on behalf of Rochester's Avis Goodwin Community Health Center. ‘These are perfectly legitimate, good things to do,’ she said.” (Adam D. Krauss, “Shea-Porter Won’t Disclose Earmarks,” Foster’s Daily Democrat , June 25, 2007)

USA Today Has Named Hodes As One Of The House’s Worst Special-Interest Earmark Spenders. (Matt Kelley, “'Earmark' Analysis Shows Money Follows Power,” USA Today, December 11, 2007)

The New Hampshire Union-Leader Described Hodes And Shea-Porter As “The Pork Twins.” (Editorial, “The pork twins: Hodes, Shea-Porter love earmarks,” The Union-Leader , August 22, 2007)

We’ve Seen Out Of Control Spending

The Spending In Lynch’s Budget Was $475 Million Higher Than The Last Biennial Budget. “Recession or no, the state wouldn't be $50 million or more in the hole if they didn't spend $475 million more in the 2008-09 budget than in the 2006-07 budget.” (Editorial, “The State Budget Hole; Just Blame Bush!,” Union Leader , January 20, 2008)

The Budget Increased Spending By 17.5%. “Although overall spending increases by 10.8 percent, spending of state revenues will increase by 17.5 percent.” (Tom Fahey, “$10.3 Billion State Budget Approved,” Union Leader , June 28, 2007)

We’ve Seen Higher Taxes And Fees

Lynch’s Budget Contained “A Package Of Tax And Fee Increases.” “It took a package of tax and fee increases to balance a $10.3 billion budget for the next two years.” (Editorial, Foster’s Daily Democrat , June 27, 2007)

Among Others, Lynch’s Budget Increased The Tobacco Tax And Car Registration Fees. “Both budget bills, the budget itself and a companion bill that raised the tobacco tax by 28 cents a pack, created an Land and Community Heritage Investment Program fee on registry of deed documents, raised car registration fees by $6 a year, and shifted nursing home costs entirely to counties, passed the Senate easily, 16-8. In the House, the budget itself passed, 211-146.” (Tom Fahey, “$10.3 Billion State Budget Approved,” Union Leader , June 28, 2007)

Lynch Has Also Hiked Tolls, And Is Scheduled To Hike Them Again. “The toll hike that acting DOT Commissioner Chuck O'Leary proposed last week matches the first phase laid out in the memo. Phase 1 raises tolls to $1 at Hooksett and Bedford on the F.E. Everett Turnpike, 75 cents at Dover and Rochester on the Spaulding Turnpike, and $1 at ramps in Hampton on I-95. That would bring turnpikes an extra $16 million a year, enough to cover $200 million in new turnpike bonds. The memo suggests other steps to raise another $46 million a year: a Hampton toll of $2 by mid to late 2009 (for a $25 million annual revenue bump) and all mainline tolls at $1 by 2010.” (Tom Fahey, “State House Dome: Tolls And Gas Taxes To Be Big Issues,” Union Leader , September 23, 2007)

We’ve Seen Rosy Revenue Projections That -- Coupled With Higher Spending -- Have A Created Budgetary Crisis

In His Address, Lynch Blamed A National Economic Downturn For His Current Revenue Shortfall. (John Lynch, State of the State Address, January 23, 2007)

However If This Were True, The Governor Should Have Seen It Coming Since National Economists Have Provided Ample Evidence Of A Slowdown:

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke: “[T]he U.S. Economy Appears To Be Making A Transition From The Rapid Rate Of Expansion Experienced Over The Preceding Several Years To A More Sustainable Average Pace Of Growth.” (Ben Bernanke, Testimony Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, U.S. Senate, February 14, 2007)

Ø “Economic growth in the United States has slowed in recent quarters, reflecting in part the economy’s transition from the rapid rate of expansion experienced over the preceding years to a more sustainable pace of growth. Real gross domestic product (GDP) rose at an annual rate of roughly 2 percent in the second half of 2006 and appears to be expanding at a similar rate early this year.” (Ben Bernanke, Testimony Before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, March 28, 2007)

Business Week: “A Slower Pace Of Economic Growth.” “Small businesses are losing confidence as the economy continues to soften. A slower pace of economic growth in the U.S. is translating into reduced sales and income, which is likely to cause smaller businesses and entrepreneurs to reduce hiring and capital spending early in 2007.” (James Mehring, “Small Business: Just When Hopes Were High”, Business Week , January 8, 2007)

Business Week: “Profits Slowdown Already Appears To Have Started.” “Corporate profits have been on a tear for more than three years. . . .Get ready for a change. The profits slowdown already appears to have started, and margins are getting squeezed. For 2007, the combination of cooler demand and warmer labor costs will create a tough economic climate for earnings.” (James C. Cooper, “Earnings Season Is About To Get Chilly,” Business Week , April 16, 2007)

And We HAVEN’T Seen Spending Reports

In Lynch’s Budget Address Last Year, He Proposed Making State Expense Reports Publicly Available. “As a state, we receive monthly revenue reports and we continually debate revenue projections. But we need to do a better job of tracking expenses on a statewide basis. That is why I have asked Commissioner Hill to develop expense reports, similar to the revenue reports, which will be available for our review monthly.” (John Lynch, Budget Address, February 15, 2007)

Yet These Spending Updates Have Not Been Released. “To make matters worse, we have no idea where we are on spending. A year ago, the governor proposed monthly spending updates like the monthly revenue updates the state publishes. But one year later, no spending updates have been released and spending is still hidden from the public.” (Charles Arlinghaus, “We Face A Two-Year Budget Crisis, Not A $50 Million Problem,” Union Leader, January 23, 2008)

CONCORD – New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Fergus Cullen release d the following statement regarding today’s news that Gov. Lynch will seek to curb state spending.

NH GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen said, “Last year Gov. Lynch signed a budget that increased spending by 17.5%, while ignoring the warnings of Republican legislators who argued that his revenue estimates were unrealistically optimistic. The appropriate time for the Governor to consider fiscal restraint would have been before he created this impending crisis.”

“The first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary serves a national purpose by giving all candidates an equal opportunity on a level playing field. Only in New Hampshire do lesser known, lesser funded underdogs have a fighting chance to establish themselves as national figures. Consistent with that tradition, we believe all recognized major candidates should have an equal opportunity to participate in pre-primary debates and forums.

“This principle applies to tonight’s debates on ABC as well as Sunday’s planned forum on FOX. The New Hampshire Republican Party believes Congressmen Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter should be included in the FOX forum on Sunday evening. Our mutual efforts to resolve this difference have failed.”

“While we understand that FOX News continues to move forward it is with regret, the New Hampshire Republican Party hereby withdraws as a partner in this forum.”

NH GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen: “The discovery that Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter used tax dollars to purchase a political list from the New Hampshire Democratic Party raises the voter file fundraising scheme to another level. Essentially Shea-Porter made a political contribution to the New Hampshire Democratic Party using taxpayer dollars. Is Shea-Porter using this list in her federal office for political purposes, or will the New Hampshire Democratic Party be forced to admit they are selling the list for non-campaign purposes?”

Congressional Office Funds, Shea-Porter Purchased A List From The New Hampshire Democratic Party That The Party Profits From Selling

On May 1^st, 2007, Carol Shea-Porter’s Congressional Office Paid $5,000 To The New Hampshire Democratic State Committee. (Second Quarter Statement of Disbursements of the House, 110^th Congress, 1^st Session) According To The New Hampshire Democratic Party’s FEC Filing, Shea-Porter’s Payment Was For “Access To The Voter File Maintained By The New Hampshire Democratic State Committee.” “The payment on Schedule A supporting Line 17 from Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter was made for access to the voter file maintained by the New Hampshire Democratic State Committee. The fee charged for access to the voter file did not exceed the usual and normal charge or the ordinary market price at the time of the contribution. The fee that Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter was charged for the voter file was pro-rated based on the costs incurred by the State Committee in creating and maintaining the file and was also based on the amount of information that Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter was allowed to access on the file.” (June Monthly Report of Receipts and Disbursements for the New Hampshire Democratic Party, Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 10, 2007)

According To Their Spokeswoman, The New Hampshire Democratic State Committee “Makes A Profit” Off Of The Sale Of Their Voter File. “[Pia] Carusone said the party has had a database for years which it enhances and checks for updates against other data-bases, such as a national database for changes of address. The new information will simply update and add to that list, she said. She said the party makes a profit, but could not say how much since work updating the list is ongoing.” (Norma Love, “N.H. Dems Can Use New Voter Information For List Sold To Presidential Candidates,” Associated Press , August 14, 2007)

“This whole scheme continues to give off the whiff of corruption. While orchestrating legislation allowing them to purchase the voter file for $450, New Hampshire Democrats negotiated to sell the file to at least five presidential campaigns for $65,000 each. They also sold it to at least three commercial list brokers in what may be a violation of state law. Now we find out they sold the list to Rep. Shea-Porter, who used tax dollars to pay for it. This is outrageous and wrong,” Cullen said.

Unanswered Questions:

1) What did Congresswoman Shea-Porter use the list for? Is it to look up the partisan affiliation of constituents who contact her office? Did she use this file to target her recent taxpayer-funded mass mailings? If so, doesn’t that make the mailings inappropriately political?

2) Did Congressman Paul Hodes also purchase access to the New Hampshire Democrat’s voter file?

3) If so, did Hodes use taxpayer or campaign funds to do so; and was this the file he used to target his recent taxpayer-funded mass mailings?

NH GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen: “Even though the Senate passed a clean AMT bill without raising taxes by an 88-5 vote, Democrats Shea-Porter and Hodes just voted in lock-step with Nancy Pelosi yet again as part of a political game that won’t keep 23 million people protected from a $2,000 tax hike and hurt over 70,000 New Hampshire families.”

“In addition, congress’s inaction will delay nearly $75 billion in Tax refunds. Instead of playing at partisan politics with this bill, the house should pass the senate version of the bill. New Hampshire tax payers deserve better from their representatives and they’ll remember this in November.”

CONCORD – New Hampshire GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen criticized Reps. Shea-Porter and Hodes for failing to pass a clean AMT relief bill to save 70,000 New Hampshire Residents from a massive tax increase.

“For months Democrats have been talking about raising taxes to pay for eliminating a tax that wasn’t supposed to exist in the first place,” said Cullen , “Instead, Shea-Porter and Hodes should speak for 70,000 New Hampshire residents by supporting the relief bill that passed 88-5 in the Senate instead of voting lock-step with tax and spend liberals like Nancy Pelosi.”

Shea-Porter and Hodes voted with Nancy Pelosi for the massive tax hike last night. (H.R. 4351, RCV #1153 , December 12, 2007)

JUST THE FACTS: AMT Relief

The AMT was never supposed to hit the middle-class: “ On Thursday morning, the Senate failed to reach an agreement on fixing the dreaded alternative minimum tax, implemented almost 40 years ago to guarantee the government got its pound of flesh from a handful of millionaires but which now threatens to hit millions of middle-income Americans. ” (Editorial, “ AMT fix ,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, December 7, 2007)

Over 70,000 New Hampshire Taxpayers will be affected if Congress doesn’t , nearly twice the population of Concord. (Heritage Foundation: The Triple Whammy of Taxes: How the AMT, Repealing the Bush Tax Cuts, and the Social Security Wage Cap Would Raise Taxes on Millions of Americans, http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/images/table_lg.gif, Accessed December 12, 2007)

Democrats wanted to raise taxes to pay for fixing the AMT, Republicans refused: “ Senate Democrats argued that changes in the AMT must be offset by other tax increases. Senate Republicans refused to go along.” (Editorial, “ AMT fix ,” Las Vegas Review-Journal, December 7, 2007)

The Democrat Congress already failed to pass relief in time for IRS to prepare paperwork for 2008 meaning thousands of refunds next year could be delayed. (Republican Leader Website, http://republicanleader.house.gov/uploadedfiles/amtletter.pdf, Accessed December 12, 2007)

Tip of the Iceberg? Highest tax rate could reach 60% under Democrat Plan. “ Democrats were already planning to undo the economy-stimulating Bush tax cuts when along came Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., with a $1 trillion tax hike. Say goodbye, economic growth. Combined, those two measures would produce a top marginal income tax rate of about 50 percent, U.S. News & World Report's James Pethokoukis reported over the weekend. If Democrats succeed in eliminating the $97,500 cap on Social Security taxes, that'll bump it up to 60 percent.” (Editorial, “ Tax Hikes a comin’: Dems get ready ,” Union Leader, November 6, 2007)

DEMS HAVE SOLD THE LIST TO COMMERCIAL VENDORS AS WELL AS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS; NH GOP FILES AS INTERVENER IN CASE AND ASKS JUDGE TO ORDER THE MONEY BE RETURNED TO THE TAXPAYERS

NH GOP Chairman Fergus Cullen: “The Democrats appear to have orchestrated legislation to funnel more than $400,000 to the party. This list was gathered at taxpayer expense. If the list has a private sector value, the taxpayer should be the beneficiary. Therefore, the New Hampshire Republican Party is calling for the New Hampshire Democratic Party to pay the money back to the state.”

CONCORD – New Hampshire Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen accuses the New Hampshire Democratic Party of coordinating a fundraising scheme based on passing legislation to allow them to sell and profit from a taxpayer-financed statewide voter file and receiving more than $400,000 in payments to date.

“Using legislation to raise money for the New Hampshire Democratic Party is unethical at best. At worst, it has the whiff of corruption and may be illegal,” Cullen said.

Last week, the New Hampshire Republican Party filed as an intervener in the case initially pursued by the Libertarian Party, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, challenging access to the list. New Hampshire Republicans argue that the state Democratic Party is profiting from the sale of a list based on a law that has since been declared unconstitutional.

The NH Democratic Party purchased the list from the Secretary of State on August 16, 2007. In court proceedings, attorneys for the Democrats stated that they had contractual obligations to sell the data. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007; “Judge Strikes Down Voter Information Law,” Associated Press , November 29, 2007)

A review of public records reveals that: 1) The Democratic Party purchased the statewide voter file for $450 and then resold it multiple times to Democratic presidential campaigns; 2) They were negotiating to re-sell the list even while legislation allowing them to purchase it was being steered through the Democrat-controlled legislature; 3) The Democratic Party also sold the list to commercial list brokers, which may be a violation of state law.

WHILE DEMOCRATS SHEPHERDED THE BILL THROUGH THE DEMOCRAT-CONTROLLED LEGISLATURE, THE NH DEMOCRATIC PARTY WAS ALREADY NEGOTIATING TO RESELL THE LIST TO PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS

In the winter of 2007, State Senator Peter Burling wrote legislation, SB 98, that allowed the New Hampshire Democratic Party to purchase a new and enhanced statewide voter file from the Secretary of State for $450. The Democrat-controlled legislature passed the bill and Democrat Governor John Lynch signed it into law. (2007 Session, SB 98, New Hampshire General Court)

While Senator Burling was shepherding the bill through the legislature, the New Hampshire Democratic Party was negotiating with Democratic presidential campaigns to buy the list from them for $65,000 each. Five presidential campaigns purchased the list – several of them doing so before the legislation had been passed – and others may do so:

• On February 7, 2007, The Obama Exploratory Committee Paid $65,000 To The Democratic Party For “Voter File Access.” The Obama Exploratory Committee made an additional payment of $5,000 to the Democratic Party for voter file access on April 3, 2007. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007)
• On March 27, 2007, The Hillary Clinton For President Exploratory Committee Paid $65,000 To The Democratic Party For Access To The Voter File. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007)
• On April 13, 2007, John Edwards For President Made A Payment Of $65,000 And A Payment Of $5,000 To The Democratic Party For Voter File Access. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007)
• On May 18, 2007, Chris Dodd For President Paid $5,000 To The State Democratic Party For Voter File Access. The New Hampshire Democrats have stated that Dodd’s campaign purchased the list, so presumably another payment of $65,000 has been made but not yet reported. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007; “Judge Strikes Down Voter Information Law,” Associated Press , November 29, 2007)
• On July 3, 2007, Richardson For President Paid $65,000 To The Democratic Party For Voter File Access. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007)

According To Their Spokeswoman, The New Hampshire Democratic State Committee “Makes A Profit” Off Of The Sale Of Their Voter File. “[Pia] Carusone said the party has had a database for years which it enhances and checks for updates against other data-bases, such as a national database for changes of address. The new information will simply update and add to that list, she said. She said the party makes a profit, but could not say how much since work updating the list is ongoing.” (Norma Love, “N.H. Dems Can Use New Voter Information For List Sold To Presidential Candidates,” Associated Press , August 14, 2007)

THE NEW HAMPSHIRE DEMOCRATS ALSO SOLD THE VOTER LIST TO COMMERCIAL LIST VENDORS

According to the law,

“No party shall use or permit the use of voter information provided by the secretary of state under paragraph I for commercial purposes as defined in RSA 654:31, I(b). Whoever knowingly violates any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor if a natural person or guilty of a felony if any other person.” (RSA 654:31, II)

“‘Commercial purposes’ means knowingly using, selling, giving, or receiving the checklist information for the purpose of selling or offering for sale any property or service unrelated to an election or political campaign.” (RSA 654:31, I)

The New Hampshire Democratic Party sold the list or access to the list to the companies below:

On January 19, 2007 Catalist Paid $25,000 To The NH Democratic Party For The “Sale” Of Their Voter File. On January 25, 2007 Catalist Paid Another $25,000 To The NH Democratic Party For The “Sale” Of Their Voter File. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007)

• “Welcome to CataList, the catalog of LISTSERV lists! From this page, you can browse any of the 53,014 public LISTSERV lists on the Internet, search for mailing lists of interest, and get information about LISTSERV host sites. The CataList service is operated by L-Soft, the company that develops LISTSERV. L-Soft's solutions are used for email newsletters, discussion groups and opt-in email marketing campaigns.” (CataList Reference Site Website, www.lsoft.com/catalist.html, Accessed December 7, 2007)

On June 26, 2007 Smith Edwards Dunlap Company Paid The New Hampshire Democratic State Committee $5,000 For Voter File Access. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007)

• New Hampshire Democratic State Committee’s Memo For The Smith Edwards Dunlap Explicitly Stated That Their Payment Was For Access To The Voter File. “The payment on Schedule A supporting Line 17 from the Smith-Edwards-Dunlap Company was made for access to the voter file maintained by the New Hampshire Democratic State Committee. The fee charged for access to the voter file did not exceed the usual and normal charge or the ordinary market price at the time of the contribution. The fee that the Smith-Edwards-Dunlap Company was charged for the voter file was pro-rated based on the costs incurred by the State Committee in creating and maintaining the file and was also based on the amount of information that the Smith-Edwards-Dunlap Company was allowed to access on the file.” (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 6, 2007)

• Smith Edwards Dunlap Bills Itself As “Philadelphia’s Leading Commercial Printing Company.” (Smith-Edwards-Dunlap Company, www.sed.com/about-us.html, Accessed December 6, 2007)

On September 21, 2007, Astro Research Inc. Paid $4,557.49 To The New Hampshire Democratic Party For Voter File Access. (Federal Election Commission, www.fec.gov, Accessed December 7, 2007)

• Astro Research Inc. Is A Commercial Physical Research Company. (Astro Research Inc, Nexis Company Profile, Accessed December 7, 2007)

New Hampshire GOP Asks For Democrat Clarification

New Hampshire Republican Party Chairman Fergus Cullen: “Democrats across the state and up and down the ballot recently accepted a series of highly questionable campaign contributions that may prove to be a violation of federal election law. The Democrat party says it’s the party of ethics. Paul Hodes, Carol Shea-Porter and Governor John Lynch campaigned on a promise to create a more ethical and open system. However, by accepting these PAC funds, these Democrats are implicitly condoning the process through which the funds were dispersed. This comes just months after some of these same organizations were forced to return questionable donations received from indicated Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu.”

“Unfortunately, this points to a pattern of unethical behavior. Democrats are part of the problem and electing Republicans in November is part of the solution,” concluded Cullen

BACKROUND ON HOPEFUND PAC

HOPEFUND PAC Is A Political Action Committee Run By Democrat Presidential

Candidate Barack Obama That Donates Money To State, Local And Federal Candidates. (Andrew Malcom, “Now, Obama Admits Campaign/PAC Donation Links ” , Los Angeles Times - Top of The Ticket Blog , November 30, 2007)

“The Political Action Committee Of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Doled Out $82,000 To New Hampshire Incumbents And Democratic Committees, Months After He Already Was A Presidential Candidate.” “Obama's campaign denied that the checks from the Hopefund Political Action Committee violated federal election laws . . . The donations included $24,000 to Gov. John Lynch, Ex-Gov. And U.S. Senate hopeful Jeanne Shaheen and seven other incumbents, all of whom Obama was courting for a potential endorsement. . . . Hopefund on June 15 had given $5,000 apiece to N.H. Democratic Congressmen Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter. Each got another $4,000 from the PAC on Sept. 27.” ( Nashua Telegraph , November 26, 2007)

The Contributions Represent A Possible Violation Of Federal Election Law. “ The acknowledgment alters the campaign's original account of how donations were directed and raised questions among some legal experts about whether the presidential committee was using Obama's leadership PAC to benefit his campaign.” (John Solomon, “Obama Campaign Worker Discussed PAC Donations,” The Washington Post, November 30, 2007)

HOPEFUND PAC Coordinated With The Barack Obama Presidential Campaign On How To Disburse Funds. “ Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign helped recommend several of the donations his political action committee made in recent months to politicians in key primary states as the campaign was working to secure endorsements, campaign officials said yesterday.” (John Solomon, “Obama Campaign Worker Discussed PAC Donations,” The Washington Post, November 30, 2007)

HOPEFUND Has Been Called A Democrat “Slush Fund”? “Appearing on CBS's ‘Face the Nation,’ Clinton media guru Howard Wolfson called Obama's Hopefund a ‘slush fund’ that should be closed now that he is a candidate for president.” (John McCormick, “Obama: Hopefund Is Not A ‘Slush Fund’”, The Swamp – Baltimore Sun , December 2, 2007)

New Hampshire Democrats Have Received $73,000 from Hopefund Pac According To Most Recent Filings. (FEC Filings, Accessed December 2, 2007)

Paul Hodes for Congress $4,000.00

Carol Shea-Porter for Congress $4,000.00

NH Democratic Party $5,000.00

Jeanne Shaheen for Senate $5,000.00

Hillsborough County Democrats $1,000.00

Belknap County Democrats $1,000.00

Janeway for Senate $1,000.00

Sullivan County Democrats $1,000.00

Rockingham County Democrats $1,000.00

Iris Estabrook Campaign for State Senate $1,000.00

John Shea $1,000.00

Carroll County Democrats $1,000.00

Strafford County Democratic Committee $1,000.00

Merrimack County Democrats $1,000.00

Grafton County Democrats $1,000.00

Hollingsworth for Executive Council $1,000.00

Cheshire County Democratic Committee $1,000.00

New Hampshire for John Lynch $5,000.00

New Hampshire for John Lynch $1,000.00

Friends of Jackie Cilley $1,000.00

Sgambati 4 Senate $1,000.00

Comm. To Elect Lou D'Allesandro $1,000.00

Maggie '08 $1,000.00

Friends of a Democratic Senate $15,000.00

Committee to Elect House Democrats $15,000.00

Coos County Democrats $1,000.00

Martha Fuller Clark for State Senate $1,000.00

TOTAL: $73,000.00

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