NASHUA – State representative candidate Stacie Laughton has officially withdrawn from the election to fill a House seat she vacated in November.
“I spoke to the secretary of state this morning, and they finally got some sort of a statement from the attorney general’s office and only as an opinion, the attorney general feels as though I’m not qualified to run or hold office,” said Laughton, D-Nashua.
Secretary of State Bill Gardner received a signed letter of withdrawal from Laughton on Wednesday, he said.
“We did get from Rep. Gidge a signed statement from Stacie Laughton, so that part of it is completed, and so, there’ll be no need for the Ballot Law Commission to meet on Friday,” Garner said, referring to Rep. Ken Gidge, D-Nashua.
The Ballot Law Commission, a five-member board separate from the secretary of state’s office that is appointed by the Legislature and the governor’s office, was granted the jurisdiction over Laughton’s matter, Attorney General Michael Delaney wrote in his letter to Gardner on Monday.
The commission oversees election-related issues, mostly the qualifications of candidates, and planned to convene Friday to review two complaints from Nashua residents that questioned Laughton’s eligibility as a candidate, Gardner said.
At issue has been Laughton’s criminal record. State law prohibits convicted felons from running for or holding office until their final discharge from prison.![]()
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