Raymond Buckley
Encyclopedia
Raymond Buckley is a member of the Democratic Party
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...

 and a politician from the state of New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...

. A former state legislator, he currently serves as chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party, President of the Association of State Democratic Chairs, and as a Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...

.

He is a member of the New Hampshire delegation to the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...

, and and served as the chairman of the eastern region of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2009. He has also been director of the NH Democratic Senate Caucus, and from 1998 to 2007 served as the City Democratic Chair for 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...

. As of March 25, 2007 he is the state chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Buckley was reelected state chair in 2009 and 2011.

Buckley served 8 terms (1986–2004) as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
New Hampshire General Court
The General Court of New Hampshire is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The lower house is the New Hampshire House of Representatives with 400 members. The upper house is the New Hampshire Senate with 24 members...

 where he represented southern Manchester, and served as Party Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...

 in that body. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

 from New Hampshire in 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. He served as the vice chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party from 1999 to March 2007, when he was elected as chair.

Early involvement

Buckley's first involvement in Democratic Party politics was at age eight, when he campaigned for a gubernatorial candidate by making homemade signs. As a twelve year old in 1972, he was volunteering for the Ed Muskie
Edmund Muskie
Edmund Sixtus "Ed" Muskie was an American politician from Rumford, Maine. He served as Governor of Maine from 1955 to 1959, as a member of the United States Senate from 1959 to 1980, and as Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter from 1980 to 1981...

 primary presidential campaign. By the age of fourteen, he was an acting town party chairman for the town of Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury, New Hampshire
Canterbury is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,352 at the 2010 census. Canterbury is home to Ayers State Forest and Shaker State Forest. On the last Saturday in July, the town hosts the annual .- History :...

. As a young man, he was taken under the wing of state party boss Chris Spirou, who mentored him. In high school, he worked on the campaign of future President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...

. He was elected to the New Hampshire Democratic State Committee at the age of 18, and was elected treasurer of that body by the age of 21.

State legislator

His first election to state office was in 1986, where he was elected to the General Court to represent Manchester's 8th ward. As a state legislator, he served 18 years, many as the Party Whip. He successfully sponsored over 150 bills into law, including a 1999 repeal of the state's ban on adoption by homosexual couples, a repeal of state taxes on hospitals, and anti-bullying legislation. In 1998, he gained some notoriety when he led a delegation of N.H. House Democrats to walk out on a speech given by Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich
Newton Leroy "Newt" Gingrich is a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as the House Minority Whip from 1989 to 1995 and as the 58th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....

. That same year, he also won the Lawrence O'Brien Award
Lawrence O'Brien Award
The Democratic National Committee Lawrence O'Brien Award was created in 1992 by the family of Lawrence Francis "Larry" O'Brien Jr. and Democratic Party leaders to recognize the many years of service he gave to the party and his belief in the contribution of party volunteers...

, an award given by the Democratic National Committee to its top party members. In 2002, he gained additional national prominence when his party's phone lines were jammed by a Republican Party
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...

 consulting firm.

While a legislator, he has also frequently worked on presidential campaigns for prominent Democratic candidates. He campaigned for Michael Dukakis
Michael Dukakis
Michael Stanley Dukakis served as the 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts from 1975–1979 and from 1983–1991, and was the Democratic presidential nominee in 1988. He was born to Greek immigrants in Brookline, Massachusetts, also the birthplace of John F. Kennedy, and was the longest serving...

 in 1988, and notably in 2003–2004, he was a member of Senator Joseph Lieberman's campaign staff. His own personal vehicle, a Chrysler PT Cruiser
Chrysler PT Cruiser
The Chrysler PT Cruiser is a retro styled compact automobile launched by Chrysler as a 5-door hatchback in early 2000 and as a 2-door convertible in early 2005 ....

 decorated as the "JoeMobile", served as a prominent symbol for that campaign.

He is credited with leading his party to prominence in New Hampshire, a former Republican stronghold, although he has also been chastised for controversial fundraising efforts that have led to that rise. Despite being leading the party to prominence, he has also been known to be at the center of several bitter intra-party feuds, including a 1981 attempt to impeach then Party Chair Richard Boyer
Richard Boyer
Sir Richard James Fildes Boyer KBE was an Australian grazier, publicist and broadcasting chief. The annual Boyer Lectures on ABC Radio National are named after him.- Early life and student career :...

 and a divisive campaign for the top party spot in 1988 against Joe Grandmaison, which Buckley would lose.

Post-legislature career

Buckley left the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 2004 to run for the Executive Council of New Hampshire
Executive Council of New Hampshire
The Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire is the executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. The Executive Council advises the Governor on all matters and provides a check on the governor's power. New Hampshire is one of the few states that has an Executive Council, and is the...

 against incumbent Ray Wieczorek. A bitter campaign ensued, fueled by a long political history. The Republican Wieczorek had been the mayor of Manchester and Buckley had been an Alderman, and the two had fought frequently. Buckley lost the election, but was immediately hired as the Executive Director of the Senate Democratic Caucus
Caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement, especially in the United States and Canada. As the use of the term has been expanded the exact definition has come to vary among political cultures.-Origin of the term:...

. Under his campaign leadership, the Democratic Party gained control of the New Hampshire Senate
New Hampshire Senate
The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court. It consists of 24 members representing Senate districts based on population...

, a situation that had only occurred for one and a half terms since the nineteenth century.

He is a prominent member of the state Gay Marriage Commission, attempting to reach a bi-partisan agreement on a hot-button issue.

State Democratic Party chair

Buckley was the frontrunner to become the chair of the New Hampshire Democratic Party in 2007. He temporarily ended his bid for chairman in January of that year, following allegations of possessing child pornography leveled by Buckley's former housemate, Rep. Steve Vaillancourt. Vaillancourt and Buckley had been friends since 1983, and housemates until 1999, when Vaillancourt evicted Buckley for unknown reasons. The relationship has been strained since then. Vaillancourt later admitted he had no proof to back up his allegations.

On January 19, 2007, the Manchester Union Leader reported that the New Hampshire Democratic Party has hired an attorney to investigate a separate set of allegations against Buckley. The investigation was prompted by a letter that accuses Buckley of sexually harassing young male party staffers.

On March 1, 2007, the Attorney General announced that criminal charges would not be filed against Buckley, and he was cleared of all charges of impropriety. The New Hampshire Attorney General considered filing charges against Vaillancourt, but determined instead to let the matter drop for lack of evidence. Buckley promptly resumed his campaign to chair the New Hampshire Democratic Party. Shortly after this, a video surfaced on YouTube, which showed a much younger Buckley using inappopriate language. This video led U.S. House of Representatives member Paul Hodes
Paul Hodes
Paul Hodes is an attorney, musician, and the former U.S. Representative for , serving fom 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was New Hampshire's first Jewish representative....

 to withdraw his support of Buckley. Despite this, he easily won election as a write-in candidate, winning 109 out of 142 total votes.

Personal life

Raymond Buckley was born in Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...

 in 1959, and is the eldest of nine siblings and half-siblings. He parents moved frequently to find work, and Raymond had attended a different school for each grade through the ninth. His parents divorced in 1972. By high school, his family had settled in Canterbury, where at the young age of 14, he served as the town's Democratic Party Chair (due to his young age, his mother held the post officially). He planned to go to college upon graduating high school, but lacking the finances, he accepted a job offer to work for then State Democratic Chair Joanne Symons. He has been a professional politician ever since.

Buckley is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....

 gay and has faced opposition to his sexuality since his first election to the State House in 1986. Before that election, he helped found the New Hampshire Citizens Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Rights. Of his own sexuality, Buckley has said "You cannot make me straight, so get over it."

External links

  • My Reputation An episode of the radio program This American Life
    This American Life
    This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...

     featuring Raymond Buckley facing controversial accusations
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