William O'Brien (New Hampshire)
William O'Brien (Republican Party) was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Hillsborough 5. He assumed office in 2008. He left office in 2016.
O'Brien (Republican Party) ran for election to the New Hampshire House of Representatives to represent Hillsborough 36. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.
O'Brien also ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent New Hampshire. He did not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on September 8, 2020.
O'Brien was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from New Hampshire. O'Brien was one of three delegates from New Hampshire bound by state party rules to support Ted Cruz at the convention.[1] Cruz suspended his campaign on May 3, 2016. At the time, he had approximately 546 bound delegates. For more on what happened to his delegates, see this page.
Biography
O'Brien's professional experience includes working as a lawyer.[2]
Committee assignments
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, O'Brien did not serve on a committee.
2013-2014
In the 2013-2014 legislative session, O'Brien did not serve on a committee.
2011-2012
| New Hampshire committee assignments, 2011 |
|---|
| • Rules, Chair |
Issues
Affordable Care Act comparisons
In a speech presented at an Americans for Prosperity rally, O'Brien called the federal Affordable Care Act "...a law as destructive to personal and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 that allowed slave owners to come to New Hampshire and seize African Americans and use the federal courts to take them back to federal … to slave states." After considerable criticism of these comments, O'Brien wrote an op-ed in The Concord Monitor defending his statements. President Barack Obama mentioned these remarks in a speech about two months later, saying that, "You had a state representative somewhere say that it’s as destructive to personal and individual liberty as the Fugitive Slave Act. Think about that. Affordable health care is worse than a law that lets slave owners get their runaway slaves back. I mean, these are quotes. I’m not making this stuff up." O'Brien responded to Obama by calling him a "rabble-rouser," and continued to defend his original comments as a "fair comparison."[3][4][5][6]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2020
See also: New Hampshire House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 36 (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 36 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Michael O'Brien Sr. (D) | 18.8 | 2,761 | |
| ✔ | Linda Harriott-Gathright (D) | 18.5 | 2,708 | |
| ✔ | Martin Jack (D) | 17.9 | 2,625 | |
| William O'Brien (R) | 15.6 | 2,284 | ||
| Bill Ohm (R) | 15.0 | 2,197 | ||
| Tyler Gouveia (R) | 14.1 | 2,069 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 5 | ||
| Total votes: 14,649 | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 36 (3 seats)
Incumbent Linda Harriott-Gathright, incumbent Michael O'Brien Sr., and incumbent Martin Jack advanced from the Democratic primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 36 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Linda Harriott-Gathright | 35.0 | 726 | |
| ✔ | Michael O'Brien Sr. | 33.6 | 697 | |
| ✔ | Martin Jack | 30.7 | 636 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 15 | ||
| Total votes: 2,074 | ||||
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Republican primary election
Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 36 (3 seats)
Bill Ohm, William O'Brien, and Tyler Gouveia defeated Paula Desjardins in the Republican primary for New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 36 on September 8, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Bill Ohm | 28.1 | 528 | |
| ✔ | William O'Brien | 26.7 | 502 | |
| ✔ | Tyler Gouveia | 24.1 | 453 | |
| Paula Desjardins | 20.9 | 393 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 3 | ||
| Total votes: 1,879 | ||||
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2014
House
Elections for the New Hampshire House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on September 9, 2014. The general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 13, 2014. Incumbent David Woodbury and Albert J. LaChance were unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent William O'Brien and William Sanborn Foster were unopposed in the Republican primary. Woodbury, LaChance, O'Brien and Foster faced off in the general election.[7] Following the general election, the vote count was close enough to trigger a mandatory recount on Thursday, November 13, 2014.[8] Following the recount, Woodbury and O'Brien were declared the winners over LaChance and Sanborn Foster.[9]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  William O'Brien Incumbent |
27.8% | 1,745 | |
| Democratic | David Woodbury Incumbent |
26.1% | 1,637 | |
| Republican | William Sanborn Foster | 24.8% | 1,557 | |
| Democratic | Albert J. LaChance | 21.4% | 1,341 | |
| Total Votes | 6,280 | |||
U.S. Congress
O'Brien told the National Journal on February 8, 2013, that he was considering a run for the U.S. House, challenging incumbent Annie Kuster (D).[10] However, in the wake of poor fundraising totals, O'Brien announced in August 2013 that he would not run for Congress.[11]
2012
O'Brien won re-election in the 2012 election for New Hampshire House of Representatives, Hillsborough 5. O'Brien advanced past the September 11 primary and won re-election in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[12][13]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | David Woodbury |
27.1% | 2,261 | |
| Republican | William O'Brien Incumbent |
25.4% | 2,112 | |
| Democratic | Kary Jencks | 24.5% | 2,042 | |
| Republican | Bob Mead | 23% | 1,916 | |
| Total Votes | 8,331 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
William O'Brien Incumbent |
46.5% | 700 |
| Bob Mead | 31.8% | 478 |
| John Quinlan | 21.7% | 326 |
| Total Votes | 1,504 | |
2010
On November 2, 2010, O'Brien was re-elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives.[14][15]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, Hillsborough 4 general election (2010) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| William O'Brien (R)
|
3,259 | |||
| Frank Holden (R)
|
3,259 | |||
| Robert Mead (R)
|
3,259 | |||
| William Condra (R)
|
3,092 | |||
| Jennifer Daler (D) | 2,497 | |||
| Andrew French (D) | 2,342 | |||
| Kary Jencks (D) | 2,379 | |||
| Theodore Groh (D) | 2,331 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, O'Brien was elected by finishing third in the Hillsborough 4 District of the New Hampshire House of Representatives taking one of the four potential seats there. O'Brien (3,716) finished behind Robert Mead (3,893) and Linda Foster (3,868). The other candidates were Frank Holden (3,686), William Condra (3,530), Jennifer Daler (3,512), Mary Beth Ayvazian (3,196), and Henry Mullaney (3,170).[16] O'Brien raised $175 for his campaign fund.[17]
| New Hampshire House of Representatives, Hillsborough 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Votes | |||
| Robert Mead (R)
|
3,893 | |||
| Linda Foster (D)
|
3,868 | |||
| William O'Brien (R)
|
3,716 | |||
| Frank Holden (R)
|
3,686 | |||
| William Condra (R) | 3,530 | |||
| Jennifer Daler (D) | 3,512 | |||
| Mary Beth Ayvazian (D) | 3,196 | |||
| Henry Mullaney (D) | 3,170 | |||
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William O'Brien did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of New Hampshire scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2016
In 2016, the New Hampshire General Court was in session from January 6 through June 1.
- Americans for Prosperity Foundation-New Hampshire- 2016 Legislative Scorecard
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to economic issues.
- Cornerstone Policy Research: 2015-2016 Legislative Scorecard
- Legislators are scored based on 15 roll call votes in the House and seven roll call votes in the Senate during the 2015-2016 session.
- Legislators are scored on how they voted on tax and fiscal legislation.
- New Hampshire Business and Industry Association: 2016 Legislative Scorecard
- Legislators are scored based on their votes on business legislation.
- New Hampshire Liberty Alliance: 2016 Liberty Rating report card
- Legislators are scored by the organization "on pro-liberty and anti-liberty roll call votes."
- New Hampshire National Federation of Independent Business: 2016 Voting Record
- Legislators are scored on their votes on small business issues.
- Legislators are scored based on if they voted with the Republican Party.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the New Hampshire General Court was in session from January 7 to July 1.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the 163rd New Hampshire General Court, second year, was in session from January 8 through June 13.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the 163rd New Hampshire General Court, first year, was in session from January 2 to July 1.
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2012
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2012, click [show]. |
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In 2012, the 162nd New Hampshire General Court, second year, was in session from January 4 through June 27.
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2011
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2011, click [show]. |
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In 2011, the 162nd New Hampshire General Court, first year, was in session from January 5 through July 1.
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2016 Republican National Convention
- See also: Republican National Convention, 2016
O'Brien was a delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention from New Hampshire.
Delegate rules
In New Hampshire, presidential candidates were required to submit lists of preferred delegates prior to the state primary election on February 9, 2016. After the primary, if a candidate was allocated any delegates, he or she was allowed to select an official delegate slate from the list they submitted prior to the primary. New Hampshire delegates were bound on all ballots. Delegates were to be released and unbound if a candidate "withdraws" from the race.
New Hampshire primary results
| New Hampshire Republican Primary, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Delegates | |
|
Donald Trump |
35.6% | 100,735 | 11 | |
| John Kasich | 15.9% | 44,932 | 4 | |
| Ted Cruz | 11.7% | 33,244 | 3 | |
| Jeb Bush | 11.1% | 31,341 | 3 | |
| Marco Rubio | 10.6% | 30,071 | 1 | |
| Chris Christie | 7.4% | 21,089 | 0 | |
| Carly Fiorina | 4.2% | 11,774 | 0 | |
| Ben Carson | 2.3% | 6,527 | 0 | |
| Rand Paul* | 0.7% | 1,930 | 0 | |
| Total Write-ins | 0.5% | 1,398 | 0 | |
| Jim Gilmore | 0% | 134 | 0 | |
| Totals | 283,175 | 22 | ||
| Source: New Hampshire Secretary of State | ||||
*Rand Paul dropped out of the race on February 3, 2016, but his name remained on the ballot in New Hampshire.[18]
Delegate allocation
New Hampshire had 23 delegates at the 2016 Republican National Convention. Of this total, six were district-level delegates (three for each of the state's two congressional districts). District-level delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; each candidate who won at least 10 percent of the statewide vote was entitled to receive a share of New Hampshire's district delegates.[19][20]
Of the remaining 17 delegates, 14 served at large. At-large delegates were allocated on a proportional basis; each candidate who won at least 10 percent of the statewide vote was entitled to receive a share of the state's at-large delegates. In addition, three national party leaders (identified on the chart below as RNC delegates) served as bound delegates to the Republican National Convention.[19][20]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Profile from Open States
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Campaign Contributions: 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004
Footnotes
- ↑ NH SOS, "Republican Delegates and Alternates to 2016 National Convention," accessed May 3, 2016
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Rep. William O'Brien," accessed May 22, 2014
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Explaining ‘Fugitive Slave Act’ Claim Highlighted by Obama," September 26, 2013
- ↑ NHPR, "President Obama Mocks Rep. O'Brien Comparing ACA To Fugitive Slave Act," September 26, 2013
- ↑ Concord, NH Patch, "Barack Obama vs. Bill O'Brien?" September 26, 2013
- ↑ The Concord Monitor, "My Turn: From the ‘Monitor,’ prejudice, divisiveness, ignorance," August 8, 2013
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2014 Filing Period," accessed July 1, 2014
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "RECOUNTS - General Election – November 4, 2014," accessed November 7, 2014
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "State Representative - 2014 General Election," accessed November 16, 2014
- ↑ National Journal, "Former N.H. House Speaker Mulling Kuster Challenge," February 8, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2013
- ↑ WMUR, "Bill O'Brien drops congressional bid," August 23, 2013
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2012 Primary Results," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2012 General Election Results," accessed May 15, 2014
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2010 Primary Election Results," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "2010 General Election Results," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "State General Election - November 4, 2008," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Follow The Money, "2008 Campaign donations," accessed April 7, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "Rand Paul drops out of White House race," February 3, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Republican National Committee, "2016 Presidential Nominating Process," accessed October 6, 2015
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 CNN.com, "Republican National Convention roll call vote," accessed July 20, 2016
