Ayotte calls the post "irresponsible and dangerous"
Kelly AyotteGovernor of New Hampshire
Governor Kelly Ayotte condemned the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's September 22 post and called for it to be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“This type of behavior is irresponsible and dangerous. Violent rhetoric has no place in our politics, and threats like this should be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Reporting
Reporting
Other statements by Kelly Ayotte in this case
Every statement by Kelly Ayotte
Where this statement fits
Was the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's 'assassination' post a threat of political violence?
On September 22, 2026, the official X account of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire posted that the party "openly support[s] the assassination of basically every elected Democrat in New Hampshire," adding that anyone unwilling to do so should vote Republican. InDepthNH.org attributed the post to party chair Jeremy Kauffman. The Boston Globe and Boston.com described it as deleted, while InDepthNH.org reported on September 23 that it remained live and that party chair Jeremy Kauffman said it had not been taken down. New Hampshire Governor Kelly Ayotte, state Democratic Party chairman Raymond Buckley, House Democratic Leader Alexis Simpson, U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander, and Republican congressional candidate Lily Tang Williams condemned the post. The state Attorney General's office said it was aware of the post but would not comment further. The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's account separately said its posts are "completely legal," and after X temporarily suspended the account, Kauffman wrote that "patriots" should be able to "advocate for self-defense." It was the third time since 2024 that the party's account had posted about killing elected officials; the national Libertarian Party disaffiliated the state party in May 2026.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Reports the post and collects same-week reactions from the state Attorney General's office, the Governor, and Democratic party and legislative leaders.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Links directly to the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's own X posts and to Jeremy Kauffman's post about the account suspension. Those underlying X posts could not be independently retrieved as of the date accessed, so this article is cited as the source for their wording.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's account had posted on September 22 that it openly supports the assassination of basically every elected Democrat in New Hampshire.
After the quotation
The state Attorney General's office separately confirmed it was aware of the post.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the fixed reference point, Ayotte rejected the post as irresponsible and dangerous rhetoric and called for legal consequences, which condemns the conduct rather than excusing or minimizing it.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- Libertarian Party of New Hampshire, Jeremy Kauffman
More from this case
Read the full caseLPNH calls Ayotte's letter an effort to curtail legal political speech
Libertarian Party of New Hampshire
“curtail legal political speech”Read statement
Simpson calls on X to permanently ban the LPNH account
“Enough is enough. Week after week, the LPNH account posts rhetoric on X intended to encourage violence against Democrats. I have reported these posts to the appropriate law enforcement. X needs to enforce its rules and permanently ban the LPNH account.”Read statement
LPNH says the media misrepresented a get-out-the-vote campaign
Libertarian Party of New Hampshire
“You get a place where when the media misrepresents your get-out-the-vote campaign as a call to 'assassinate Democrats' it's not a big deal and some elected anarcho-capitalists call you and laugh about it.”Read statement
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- Ayotte calls the post "irresponsible and dangerous"
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The Dispute Index. "Ayotte calls the post "irresponsible and dangerous"". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3256-governor-kelly-ayotte-condemned-the-libertarian-party-of