Deputy Speaker Steven Smith condemns the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's assassination post in a joint statement with Minority Leader Simpson
Steven SmithDeputy Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives (Republican, Charlestown), speaking in a joint statement with House Minority Leader Alexis Simpson
New Hampshire House Deputy Speaker Steven Smith, a Republican, said in a joint statement with House Minority Leader Alexis Simpson that the Libertarian Party's posts calling for the assassination of Democrats were completely unhinged and unacceptable, and that political violence has no place in New Hampshire regardless of party.
“The Libertarian Party’s posts calling for the assassination of Democrats are completely unhinged and unacceptable. No matter your party, political violence has zero place in New Hampshire, period. We need to drop this garbage, get back to regular debating, and settle our differences the right way”
Reporting
Reporting
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 condemnation of the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's post by state officials and the Granite State Libertarian Party, and prints the joint statement from Smith and Simpson.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Reporting
About this source
Corroborates the exact wording of the post and reports the national Libertarian Party's statement reiterating its Non-Aggression Principle pledge.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's X account had posted that it openly supports the assassination of basically every elected Democrat in New Hampshire and that people unwilling to do that should probably vote GOP, according to InDepthNH.org and the Valley News. Smith, a Republican, and Simpson, a Democrat, issued their joint statement as other officials and the Granite State Libertarian Party also condemned the post.
After the quotation
In the same joint statement, Simpson said calls for the assassination of elected officials must be condemned without hesitation and that, regardless of party, every leader has a responsibility to reject this dangerous rhetoric. The Valley News reported that the national Libertarian Party said it opposes political violence and had ended its affiliation with the New Hampshire organization in May.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's post about assassinating elected Democrats was a threat of political violence. Smith called the party's posts unhinged and unacceptable and said political violence has zero place in New Hampshire whatever a person's party. That is an express rejection of the post, so we labeled it Condemned.
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- People and groups discussed
- Libertarian Party of New Hampshire
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
Ayotte asks X to remove the party's posts and suspend its account
“Violent rhetoric is completely unacceptable and has no place in our civil discourse. These posts plainly violate X's own rules on violent content, and I'm calling on X to remove them and suspend the account immediately.”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
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- Deputy Speaker Steven Smith condemns the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's assassination post in a joint statement with Minority Leader Simpson
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The Dispute Index. "Deputy Speaker Steven Smith condemns the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire's assassination post in a joint statement with Minority Leader Simpson". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3308-new-hampshire-house-deputy-speaker-steven-smith-a