House Republican Leadership to Maintain Status Quo

Whalley Seat to Remain Vacant in His Memory

  Concord—In a unanimous vote today of the members who gathered at the House Republican caucus at the State House in Concord, the position of Republican Leader, held by Rep. Michael Whalley (r-Alton) until his recent death, will remain vacant in his honor and memory.

The leadership team, selected by Whalley at the beginning of the biennium, will remain in place through the end of the current session, according to Deputy Republican Leader David Hess (r-Hooksett).  “Everyone who stood and spoke at the caucus was clear that we should continue the work of Mike Whalley without trying to hold an election that would be disruptive to our caucus and would cause us to lose focus on our work in the House,” said Hess.

  As a result, Rep. Whalley’s seat in the House chamber, as well as the title of Republican Leader, will remain vacant in his honor.   Former Speaker Gene Chandler (r-Bartlett) will continue as the Republican Policy Leader.  “Mike would want us to remain unified in our goals of perpetuating our core Republican values while differentiating ourselves from Democrats who have been on a tax and spend spree for the past two years,” said Chandler. “We will also continue to work actively on Mike Whalley’s goal of candidate retention and recruitment so that we may return to control of the House in his memory.”

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