GOP Rep. Frank Guinta
Republican Rep. Frank Guinta, who represents New Hampshire's swingy 1st District, has spent the last few years ignoring questions about a
mysterious six-figure donation he made to his campaign in 2010. Guinta's financial statements say that he didn't have that type of money to spend, but he continued to just claim it was a bookkeeping error. Guinta
paid a large fine to the FEC on Wednesday but if he was hoping he'd be able to put this story to bed, he was
very wrong.
Guinta quickly canceled a town hall, something that Granite State reporter John DiStaso flagged as a bad sign for him. But things really went downhill on Friday, when the powerful conservative paper the Union Leader printed an editorial from its publisher Joseph W. McQuaid simply saying, "Frank Guinta is a damned liar."
GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte isn't being as aggressive but she's in no hurry to defend Guinta. When asked if the congressman should resign, Ayotte said "[t]hat’s a decision that’s his, but time will tell." Ayotte has a potentially tough re-election campaign next year, and it's no surprise that she hopes that Guinta will just go away rather than cause her trouble.
Guinta continues to maintain that the donation was legitimate, arguing that it came from his parents' checking accounts. According to Guinta, he deposited $381,000 in their account, they paid him back, and he used that money on his campaign.
However, attorneys interviewed by the Union Leader say his explanation just isn't valid. His parents would still own the money, and it doesn't matter if he deposited it himself. While Guinta can spend as much of his own funds as he wants on his campaign, his parents can't legally drop anywhere near $381,000 into his war chest. Guinta says he'll produce documents showing this was his money, though one lawyer points out that if he could have just proven that to the FEC, this whole mess would have been avoided.
Obama won this seat 50-49, and Democrats were going to target Guinta no matter what. Businessman Shawn O'Connor is already running, and former Rep. Carol Shea-Porter is considering a fourth match with Guinta; Executive Councilor Chris Pappas also hasn't ruled anything out.
But Guinta may have to worry about a primary challenger first, and the fact that powerful conservatives aren't defending him doesn't speak well of his chances. It's also likely that the NRCC will pressure Guinta to resign or retire so they can have a candidate without his baggage. Things are moving fast here, and we'll be keeping a close eye on all the developments.