Various Representatives have had the guts to stand up for victims of domestic abuse,  and stalking by forcefully calling for Rep. Stacie Laughton to step down as she is sitting in jail awaiting arraignment, and now the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (NHCADSV) has joined in.

The New Hampshire Legislature has a long list of accomplishments throughout the years, and unfortunately a growing list of black eyes and forgettable moments.

I am writing today about another of those black eye moments brought to us today by New Hampshires Democratic Party and its severe lack of support for a young lady victimized and harassed by Representative Stacie Laughton.

Representative Laughton has a long and sorted history of jail stints and charges ranging from credit card fraud to calling in fake crimes and stalking, the charge for which the Democrat representative is currently sitting in jail for awaiting court.

You might be asking yourself a couple of questions:

1. Why would constituents keep putting their sacred voice in the hands of somebody who cannot and should not be trusted?

2. Why haven’t we heard from newly elected House Minority Leader Rep. Matt Wilhelm or State party chair Ray Buckley?

I can’t honestly answer the first question.

The second question on the other hand is one that can be answered very easily: Political Gain!

The House is nearly split evenly for the next two years and with such a razor thin difference Wilhelm and company cannot afford to lose even one seat.

The New Hampshire Democratic Party often boasts on the campaign trail that they are the party of women, women’s rights and victims of abuse, and so surely you would expect immediate and heavy condemnation for the crime Rep. Laughton has committed, right? Right?????

The NH Dems are silent. You can hear a pin drop in fact, and that to me says alot about the state of the party and where there priorities lay.

If a Republican rep was sitting in a jail with hardened criminals right now every Democrat Twitter page would have the same message of earth scorching rhetoric demanding Republican leadership do what’s right for the victim and either remove the member from the caucus or refuse to seat them as a result. 

And here we are at a moment in time when Democrat leaders could unequivocally denounce the representative’s actions and show that they practice what they preach, and have yet to say or do ANYTHING.

The New Hampshire Democratic party can’t be taken seriously after all of this is said and done.

There is a very real victim with real feelings and emotions at stake, and right now whomever that person may be is getting a crash course in the seedy underbelly of politics and party needs over people.

So now I am calling on Laconia’s Representatives, Representative Mike Bordes, Representative-elect Steve Bogert, Representative-elect Charlie St. Clair, and Representative-elect David Huot to join me and the NHCADSV and demand that Democratic Party leadership step in and refuse to seat Stacie Laughton, if and when she uses the state’s Constitution to get out of her charges due to being a sitting representative.

This situation is very serious and should be treated that way by everyone, and yes that includes the NH Democratic Party.

Representative Richard Littlefield