4RG Chairman Hemingway: “Hassan Should Withdraw From Gov Race”

CONCORD, N.H.—4RG Chairman Andrew Hemingway is calling for Democratic Gov. Candidate Maggie Hassan to drop out of her race for governor after she agreed that it was “a good answer” for Democrats to literally beat Republicans “with a bat … with your hands … [and] with your feet.”

Hassan, the former Majority Leader for the N.H. Senate, was asked at a Goffstown meeting “How do you plan to beat a Republican?” Democratic operative and Rep. Kevin Hodges, who introduced the candidate at the event, yelled out in reply, “You can beat ‘em with a bat, you can beat ‘em with your hands, you can beat ‘em with your feet.” Hassan was caught on video tape immediately responding, “That’s a good answer.” Please review the video here: http://youtu.be/V8zjC8NHlgI.

Later, when asked by the press about the comment, Hassan’s campaign manager Matthew Burgess replied that she was just “kidding” about beating other human beings with a bat as if the comment was just a joke.

“This is outrageous!,” said Andrew Hemingway, chairman of 4RG. “Her unwillingness to apologize personally shows she is unwilling to take responsibility for her distasteful comment. This is not the kind of divisive leadership the people of New Hampshire are looking for. Everyone knows this wasn’t a joke and no one finds it funny.

“Republican candidates for governor Kevin Smith and Ovide Lamontagne are out on the campaign trail explaining the exact policies they would implement to strengthen New Hampshire’s economy and attract good job-producing companies to the state, while Democrat Maggie Hassan is asking her supporters to incite violence against their political opponents,” Hemingway added. “This shows that Hassan doesn’t have any ideas to make New Hampshire a better place. Her plan for the corner office is to support her friends and literally destroy her enemies.”

Hemingway, who is promoting the candidacies of both Smith and Lamontagne for governor and not taking a side in the race, said Hassan’s comment brought negative Democratic rhetoric to a new height of irresponsibility. As members of Congress are literally getting shot at and mob violence is taking over in some American cities, political leaders should be showing Americans the way toward peace and prosperity like Smith and Lamontagne are doing, not promoting the kind of societal degradation that is holding the country back.

“Hassan has got to be ‘kidding’ if she thinks that she can get out of this extreme lapse of judgement with a half-hearted reply from a staffer,” Hemingway said. “She not only owes the people of New Hampshire a sincere and heartfelt apology for this comment, she should also drop out of the race for governor so more respectable candidates can continue to focus on the ideas that will make New Hampshire a better place to work and live. New Hampshire deserves better than Maggie Hassan.”

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About 4RG
4RG, which means “For a Republican Governor,” was founded by Andrew Hemingway as a PAC focused exclusively on supporting Republican candidates for governor. 4RG intends to fill voids in grassroots organizing, polling, door knocking and literature drops for Republican governor candidates all across the country. Additionally, the organization will promote its candidates online using social media technology developed by the founder. Please donate to 4RG to help us augment Republican governor campaign activities where we’re needed most, which will slowly help us work to restore our state governments as the strong Republics they once were. For more information, visit www.4RG.org.