Allen Raymond
Encyclopedia
Allen Raymond is a Republican
political consultant in the United States
who spent three months in federal prison for his role in the 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal
, for which he was convicted of making harassing phone calls across state lines, a felony.
Raymond told investigators that his former Republican National Committee
colleague James Tobin
approached him with a plan to tie up the phones of New Hampshire Democrats on Election Day
2002, during a close Senate race between Republican John E. Sununu
and Democrat
Jeanne Shaheen
. Raymond collected $15,600 from the New Hampshire Republican State Committee and paid a small Idaho telemarketing company $2,300 to make non-stop hangup phone calls to six New Hampshire phone lines. Five of these were being used by Democrats to get out the vote; the sixth belonged to the Manchester
Firefighters' Union, which offers non-partisan but mostly liberal rides to the polls.
At the time of the 2002 phone-jamming, Raymond owned a Virginia-based GOP phone-bank company (GOP Marketplace) and also held a paid position as executive director of the Republican Leadership Council
.
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Raymond said he took part in the phone-jamming because he "had been reluctant to turn down a prominent official of the RNC, fearing that would cost him future opportunities from an organization that was becoming increasingly ruthless."
The closing paragraph of his book How To Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative ends with a line that reflects on a conversation with his wife just before he entered jail; "After ten full years inside the GOP, ninety days amongst honest criminals wasn't any great ordeal."
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
political consultant in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who spent three months in federal prison for his role in the 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal
2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal
The 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal involves the use of a telemarketing firm hired by that state's Republican Party for election tampering. The tampering involved using a call center to jam the phone lines of a Get Out the Vote operation...
, for which he was convicted of making harassing phone calls across state lines, a felony.
Raymond told investigators that his former Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
The Republican National Committee is an American political committee that provides national leadership for the Republican Party of the United States. It is responsible for developing and promoting the Republican political platform, as well as coordinating fundraising and election strategy. It is...
colleague James Tobin
James Tobin (political operative)
James Tobin was President George W. Bush's New England campaign chairman. He was convicted on December 15, 2005, of telephone harassment "for his part in a plot to jam the Democratic Party's phones on Election Day 2002"...
approached him with a plan to tie up the phones of New Hampshire Democrats on Election Day
Election Day (politics)
Election Day refers to the day when general elections are held. In many countries, general elections are always held on a Sunday, to enable as many voters as possible to participate, while in other countries elections are always held on a weekday...
2002, during a close Senate race between Republican John E. Sununu
John E. Sununu
John Edward Sununu is a former Republican United States Senator from New Hampshire, of Lebanese and Palestinian Christian ancestry. Sununu was the youngest member of the Senate for his entire six year term. He is the son of former New Hampshire Governor John H...
and Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Jeanne Shaheen
Jeanne Shaheen
Jeanne Shaheen is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and the Senior United States Senator from New Hampshire. The first woman in U.S. history to be elected as both a Governor and U.S. Senator, she was the first woman to be elected Governor of New Hampshire, serving from...
. Raymond collected $15,600 from the New Hampshire Republican State Committee and paid a small Idaho telemarketing company $2,300 to make non-stop hangup phone calls to six New Hampshire phone lines. Five of these were being used by Democrats to get out the vote; the sixth belonged to the Manchester
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
Firefighters' Union, which offers non-partisan but mostly liberal rides to the polls.
At the time of the 2002 phone-jamming, Raymond owned a Virginia-based GOP phone-bank company (GOP Marketplace) and also held a paid position as executive director of the Republican Leadership Council
Republican Leadership Council
The Republican Leadership Council , founded in 1993 as the Committee for Responsible Government, is a United States political advocacy group and political action committee that promotes Republican candidates who espouse a platform that the organization characterizes as "fiscally conservative,...
.
In an interview with the Boston Globe, Raymond said he took part in the phone-jamming because he "had been reluctant to turn down a prominent official of the RNC, fearing that would cost him future opportunities from an organization that was becoming increasingly ruthless."
The closing paragraph of his book How To Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative ends with a line that reflects on a conversation with his wife just before he entered jail; "After ten full years inside the GOP, ninety days amongst honest criminals wasn't any great ordeal."
Media appearances
- Appeared on Real Time with Bill MaherReal Time with Bill MaherReal Time with Bill Maher is a talk show that airs weekly on HBO, hosted by comedian and political satirist Bill Maher. Much like his previous show, Politically Incorrect on ABC , Real Time features a panel of guests that discuss current events in politics and the media...
on October 24, 2008, talking about his book - Appeared on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart January 17, 2008
- Appeared on The Rachel Maddow ShowThe Rachel Maddow Show (TV series)The Rachel Maddow Show is a news and opinion television program that airs weeknights on MSNBC at 9:00 p.m. ET. It is hosted by Rachel Maddow, who gained popularity with her frequent appearances as a liberal pundit on various MSNBC programs. It is based on her former radio show of the same name...
on January 27, 2009
Books
- How To Rig an Election: Confessions of a Republican Operative (ISBN 1-4165-5222-7).
External links
- February 10. 2003 PoliticsNJ.com "Consultant with NJ ties implicated as NH campaign trickster"
- January 08, 2008 Democracy Now! "How to Rig an Election: Convicted Former GOP Operative Details 2002 New Hampshire Phone Jamming Scheme"
- January 15, 2008 Raymond answers readers' questions at "Freakonomics blog"
- Allen Raymond interviewed by Velvet Revolution, January 2008
- Allen Raymond interviewed by Regal Literary, April 2008