Republicans may hold the New Hampshire governor's office and solid majorities in the state House, Senate, and Executive Council, but lately, they’ve been struggling to manage the GOP state committee.
The party found itself with a new chairman Thursday — its third leader in less than two weeks.
Scott Maltzie, the party’s former vice-chairman, became chairman this week after the Republican National Committee ruled that the state party acted improperly when its executive board voted earlier this month to install former Rochester Mayor Paul Callaghan as state Chairman.
Callaghan’s installation as chair itself came soon after the sudden resignation of former chairman Jim MacEachern over allegations of an improper confrontation with a former congressional candidate.
Callaghan enjoyed the political support of Gov. Kelly Ayotte, who called the former police detective "exactly what our party needs as we head into November.” Callaghan was also Maltzie’s pick to take the reins of the party. But that plan was rejected by national Republican leaders this week, in a ruling that called Callaghan’s move into the chairman role “not authorized” by state GOP bylaws.
In a statement to party members Thursday, Maltzie thanked Callaghan for his service and said he was ready to lead state Republicans, irrespective of how he got the job.
“I certainly didn’t choose this path to become chairman, but I take the responsibility of the role seriously,” Maltzie said.
The RNC’s invalidation of Callaghan’s election, which took many local Republicans by surprise, is a victory for Chris Ager, who led the state GOP from 2023 to 2025, and who challenged Callaghan’s bid to be chairman before the party’s Executive Committee.
In a statement Thursday, Ager said he was glad the RNC “validated our position. Transparent and fair elections at all levels is what Republicans must continue to champion.”
The outcome is also a reversal for Bill O’Brien, the state’s National Republican Committeeman and legal counsel. O’Brien had earlier dismissed Ager’s complaints about the process that led to Callaghan being named chairman as “politically motivated” and "meritless."
But in a statement after the RNC ruling, O’Brien said he accepted the outcome.
“They ruled that the vice chairman of the New Hampshire Republican Party does not have the option to decline the chairmanship upon the resignation of the chairman. Based on that ruling, Scott Maltzie automatically became chairman,” O’Brien said.
Maltzie’s first major act as party chairman will be to preside over the state party’s annual meeting. That was slated to take place Saturday, but citing "dangerously frigid conditions” forecast across the state this weekend, Maltzie postponed the meeting. Maltzie said he and other party officials would find a location and date for the meeting that fulfills “bylaw notification requirements.”
“The past several weeks have been challenging for our party,” Maltzie wrote. “I have complete confidence that we will navigate these challenges and emerge stronger, more focused, and better positioned to win than ever before.”
