NH Establishment Republican's at Work? - Granite Grok

NH Establishment Republican’s at Work?

On January 30th, when Andrew Hemingway announced his run for governor, I wrote this…NH-GOP_logo

I do have to ask the obvious question before I close. Now that we have a Republican candidate the establishment might not be in love with, running against a very weak Democrat opponent, will there be a dash to file a moderate and then some faux-conservative to make sure the moderate wins a primary and loses the general, or will the NH-GOP count themselves lucky and come together behind one candidate from now until November?

Well, it looks like the moderate insiders have a potential primary candidate to run against Hemingway.  He is having ‘informal’ discussions with a small group of ‘Republicans’ about the ‘possibility’ of running for governor.

Walter Havenstein, who reportedly runs Dean Kamen’s non-profit, is a well-known, behind the scenes, Republican insider.

I’ve never heard of him so that probably means he is “well-known” because he writes checks, or has connections to money moving into the NH-GOP machine.  (There’s an image dripping with irony.  It’s a tiny, malfunctioning machine that only gets oiled if and when the national party wants it oiled.)  But if we are going to talk connections, Havenstein, and money, we have to talk Dean Kamen.

I know Bradley, Sununu, inc. are in on the ‘talking.’  Is Dean Kamen one of the folks doing any of the talking?   What might his interest be?  Why might he be less than thrilled with the current Republican candidate?  Would he rather have someone else in there?  Someone with whom he had more influence?

Dean has influence and he gives his money to the Sununu, Bradley, Bass, Hodes, Shaheen, Reid,  Kerry wing of the…what?

Of the Republican Party?

Dean donates to folks like Paul Hodes, Jeanne Shaheen, Harry Reid, and John Kerry.  He was an early adopter of Paul Hodes for Senate, then a year later, two months before the election in 2010, donated to Kelly Ayotte.  He donated to Jeanne Shaheen first, in 2007, and then months later gave money to Team Sununu.  He’s also real smitten on James Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat. (GovTrack ranks Langevin as an ideological equivalent of Carol-Shea Porter, but with more influence).

Dean Kamen also gave $500.00 to John Lynch for Governor in 2006, his largest in-state donation to any non federal New Hampshire candidate I could find.

Kamen’s interests run center left at best, and I think it is relevant because Walter Hevenstein is the guy running his non-profit.  I bet they talk now and again.  I know, maybe it’s nothing.

If activists would like some recent insight into Walter Havenstein’s giving preferences (no, he does not give to Democrats), on January 20th the Boothby for Executive council campaign reported a last-minute $1000.00 donation from Havenstein.  Boothby was endorsed by “let’s embrace ObamaCare” state Senators Bob Odell and Jeb Bradley, but lost the primary to Joe Kenney, the not-so-establishment conservative candidate.  Maybe that is nothing as well.

But I think this establishes Havenstein’s credentials as an inside the NH-GOP moderate, also known in NH-GOP insider-circles as “the good candidate.”  Those of us outside that circle have another name for this.  Loser (to the Democrat challenger).

And does anyone else see the amusing insider calculus on this?  A party with a (true or not) old-rich-big-business-crony-insider-white-guy image problem, that is having trouble connecting to young, technically savvy voters, including college age women, gets a young, sharp, tech-entrepreneur in Hemingway, willing to share his cutting edge fundraising and voter demographic software to help elect Republicans up and down the ticket,  and the “insiders” respond by courting a ‘retired’ older-rich-big-business-crony-GOP insider-white-guy; an establishment one-percenter.

But hey – the NHGOP got a new web-site, right?

I am guessing (if Havenstein should decide to run) that he will be more than adequately funded by the same cadre of moderate insiders who are rushing to embrace ObamaCare through Medicaid Expansion, and pushing speech crushing finance reforms to silence those who disagree with them.

Even James Pindell agreed (on the Establishment insider part).

Chris Boothby: It is official that he is the favored choice for Executive Council by many in the Republican party’s establishment. And his $20,000 loan (and raising another $23,000) proves he has support and is putting his own money behind it.

The establishment’s favored candidate was supported by Havenstein.  He lost.  That has such a familiar ring to it, but usually later in the general election, so maybe things are getting worse for the Establishment?

Boothby, by the way, had the opportunity to go on the record with GraniteGrok, to make his pitch unedited, as a primary candidate.  He said yes before he said no, but he did say no.

Havenstein’s contribution history is dominated by the moderate establishment, though he also gave to Duncan Hunter.  He also gave voluntary contributions to the SAIC Voluntary Political Action Committee.  He’s listed as the CEO at SAIC through at least 2012, and I’d be interested in how much influence that position has in regard to political donations.  The PAC spreads its money around to anyone and everyone it might need to influence, including big name Democrats.  That’s not an indictment, but it is a piece of the puzzle and worthy of consideration.

Exactly who would Walter Havenstein represent?  Whose governor would he be?  I’m willing to be convinced otherwise, but I am going to have to go with the Sununu, Bradley, Bass, Hodes, Shaheen, Reid,  Kerry Government-first wing of the GOP for the time being.

>