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Republicans And Local Media Turn On GOP Congressman Over Illegal Campaign Donations

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Rep. Frank Guinta (R-NH) vowed to stay in office Monday, even after the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) ruled that he accepted 355,000 dollars worth of illegal campaign donations from his parents during the 2010 election cycle. Guinta has characterized the investigation into his illegal fundraising as a political witch hunt being orchestrated by Democrats. However, that narrative is falling apart as his own party and the state’s media outlets have turned on Guinta, disputing his claims of innocence.

New Hampshire’s highest ranking Republican politician, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, called for Guinta to resign on Monday. GOP politicians are trying to run away from the scandal tainted Guinta as fast as they can. Former New Hampshire Republican Party Chair Frank Cullen stated:

Frank is dead politically. There’s no recovery from this.

Current State Party leader Jennifer Horn was less direct, but she too referred to the allegations against Guinta, as “serious and extremely troubling”.

While Republican politicians are working feverishly to cut off their ties to Guinta, the New Hampshire press has also piled on to criticize the embattled Congressman. The Eagle-Tribune which endorsed Guinta in both 2010 and 2012, turned on him, with a scathing editorial calling him unfit for office and arguing that:

It is reasonable to conclude that the people of New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District are being represented by a fraud and a cheat.

The Conservative publisher of The Union-Leader, Joseph W. McQuaid, penned a blunt six-word editorial that simply said:

Frank Guinta is a damned liar.

New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District is one of the most competitive House Districts in the nation. In the 2010 GOP wave election, Guinta defeated liberal Democratic Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter 54-42.4 percent. That was the same year he took the illegal campaign donations. In 2012, Shea-Porter avenged her 2010 loss by beating Guinta 49.8-46 percent. The race swung back to the GOP in 2014 when Guinta defeated Shea-Porter by a narrow 51.7-48.1 margin.

Now that Republicans and the New Hampshire media have turned against Guinta, the district becomes an excellent pick-up opportunity for House Democrats in 2016. Regardless of who wins in 2016, it is clear that Congressmen Guinta has not been truthful about his campaign finances. His political career is almost certainly finished. The only question remaining is whether or not he will drag other New Hampshire Republicans down with him.

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Keith Brekhus

Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master's Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick's successful re-election bid in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.