House GOP leadership has ousted Rep. Emily Phillips (R-Fremont) as Assistant Majority Leader in response to her public endorsement of a Democrat for reelection this fall.
Phillips’ supporters say it’s an attempt by Republican leadership to interfere in her primary against state Sen. Bill Gannon (R-Sandown). Her critics complain she’s created this problem — a problem they say is part of a pattern of problematic behavior by the Fremont Republican.
In a video with Rep. Ellen Read (D-Newmarket) posted on social media, Phillips urges viewers to donate to the Democrat’s campaign, including giving out the donation web address. “It’s very important to me that Ellen gets reelected,” Phillips said.
Now her endorsement of Read may hurt the Republican’s campaign for state Senate. Phillips’ challenge of Gannon is the most heated GOP contest of the 2024 cycle. The race pits members of the libertarian wing of the GOP, including the influential Americans For Prosperity – NH, against more traditional Republicans.
Video of Rep. Emily Phillips (R-Fremont) endorsing Rep. Ellen Read (D-Newmarket)
Phillips was named “NH Liberty Alliance Legislator of The Year” with an A+ rating from the organization, for example, while Gannon has been endorsed Gov. Chris Sununu.
Deputy Speaker Steven Smith (R-Charlestown) told his fellow Republicans that removing Phillips from her leadership position was necessary.
“The video itself was one thing. What put it over the top was urging people to donate to Read. It is just incompatible with being an Assistant Majority Leader. We are not going to bash Emily at all. The hope is that removing her position quietly will suffice,” Smith said in a message to members of the House GOP.
House Majority Leader Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) also released a statement on Friday that, while not mentioning Phillips by name, clearly referenced the current controversy.
“When GOP candidates endorse far-left candidates, they are indirectly promoting policies like rent control, mandatory background checks for homeschoolers, gender reassignment surgery for children, and abortion up until birth. They are empowering people who oppose parental rights. school choice, women’s privacy, and equal opportunities for women in sports,” Osborne wrote.
“Thousands of activists in our state spend countless hours volunteering for our party: recruiting candidates, holding fundraisers, working the polls, and getting out the vote. It’s understandably difficult to rally our base around ‘Team GOP’ if our elected members make statements that undermine our agenda.”
Phillips told NHJournal the issue is “inside baseball” and she’s not going to let it impact her Senate campaign.
“With the primary just over two weeks away, I’m focused on one thing and one thing only – talking to voters in Senate District 23 about the issues that matter to them,” Phillips said. “They’re hungry for a more conservative senator that supports Republican policies, more transparency, more accountability, and breaking from the establishment that’s controlled the senate for far too long.
“This inside baseball horse jockeying isn’t of interest to them, nor should it be,” Phillips said.
Members of House leadership aren’t thrilled about being put in this position, sources say, and complain Phillips has been her own worst enemy from the beginning.
“We’re now in the position of hoping she wins just so [leadership] doesn’t get blamed for her loss,” one NHGOP House member told NHJournal.
But Melissa Blasek, a former GOP state representative from Merrimack and a Phillips supporter, says GOP leaders are making a mistake — in particular, Speaker Sherm Packard, who has at least one challenger for his position already, Rep. Len Turcotte (R-Barrington).
“Unfortunately, House leadership is actually too short-sighted to see the potential long-term ramifications of this in the Senate. This is more about House leaders jockeying for position next cycle than the Senate primary. Sherm is already facing a ‘Lensurrection’ and can’t afford the RINO caucus coming after him, too.
“So he has to do what he has to do for himself.”
