From Pindell’s site (emphasis mine):
Newmarket Republican Chair Joe Barton will not resign from his position as state Republican Chair Jack Kimball requested following Barton’s Facebook post over the weekend that he would pay $1,500 to anyone willing to primary State Sen. Sharon Carson (R-Londonderry).
Barton made the comment on the New Hampshire Republican Party’s Facebook group. The comment has since been removed by the party. Kimball said he asked Barton to resign his position this morning. He called Barton’s comment “inappropriate” and “improper” and said that Barton has been banned from commenting further on the Facebook group.
Barton said Tuesday afternoon that he is revoking his “bounty” offer and will donate the $1,500 to the state party instead.
“I still think [Carson] should be primaried, but right now there is too much party infighting, and people need to focus on the White House and taking back the governor’s office,” he said.
This is a continuation of an earlier headline grabbing situation between Barton and Carson. While the Senate was voting on the Right to Work issue, Carson said she felt threatened by a phone call Barton made trying to convince her to favor the bill. She did not.
Kimball said that Carson “doesn’t deserve this” and that he will back every incumbent Republican Senator.
I’m not going to get into the earlier Barton-Carson story other than it turned out to be, IMHO, a who-said-what moment; no one can prove anything as there doesn’t seem to be any hard evidence one way or another. Otherwise, we should have seen arrests on one side or another.
It is clear that Joe Barton is looking to get Carson replaced – fine, that politics. Frankly, there are a number of Republicans holding office I’d love to see replaced as well – I just don’t have the $1,500 to wave around right now. And having thought about it for a few minutes, really, the brouhaha is all about a distinction without much of one; how different is it to offer a "pre-declaration" campaign donation vs a "post-declaration" campaign donation?
But did anyone else catch this:
…he will back every incumbent Republican Senator.
Umm, isn’t Jack basically doing the same thing in reverse – telling possible primary candidates against all 19 sitting Republican NH State Senators to fagettaboutit? Showing the same preference that he is calling Joe Barton out for just in reverse?