HURST WITHDRAWS ENDORSEMENT CITES PHILOS... 11-01-95
Portsmouth Herald
11-01-95  Pg. A3
by Steve Haberman, Herald Staff 

   HAMPTON - As the 1996 presidential campaign heats up, at least one
local state representative is rethinking her endorsement for the
Republican nominee. 
   ``After lengthy consideration, I have decided to withdraw my endorsement
of Sen. (Phil) Gramm's campaign,'' Rep. Sharleene Hurst, R-Hampton/Hampton
Falls, said in a recent letter to the Herald. ``The problem lies in the
various philosophical disagreements I have with the campaign staff.''
   Hurst said judgment of a candidate is best made based on the people he
hires to help him get elected. ``If you disagree with the way they do things,
then you should not support the candidate. Loyalty is a bond that should be
inspired within us by those deserving of it. It is not a commodity to be
given blindly or casually,'' Hurst said in her Oct. 30 letter.
   Specifically, Hurst feels Gramm has surrounded himself with people who
have no respect for New Hampshire residents. ``Just because New Hampshire
is largely rural doesn't mean we're hicks,'' Hurst said. ``They should
respect our intelligence and our ideas. 
   ``There are some people (in the Gramm campaign) who don't respect
anything,'' the Hampton resident said. 
   Hurst was one of the first local representatives to endorse a major
Republican candidate for president. In a letter signed by both the legislator
and her husband, Lee, dated in August, Hurst praised Gramm as a ``man of
courage, character, and conviction. He is the kind of person we believe
belongs in the White House,'' the Hursts wrote.
   Noting what they called the ``liberal establishment'' and ``liberal
media'' attempts to ``steer the Republican Party toward candidates who
will be vulnerable in a general election fight against Bill Clinton,'' the
Hursts promised continued support for the Texas Republican. 
   ``You can be sure of one thing, however; we will continue to support Sen.
Phil Gramm,'' the Hursts wrote in their August letter. ``He is the right
choice for America!''
   Despite spending a considerable amount of money on political
advertising in New Hampshire, Gramm is currently running at only 6 percent
in the latest statewide polls, well behind Kansas Senator and Senate
Majority Leader Bob Dole, and conservative political commentator Pat
Buchanan. The possible entrance of former Pentagon Chief of Staff Gen.
Colin Powell into the Republican primary, pushes Gramm's popularity even
lower. 
   All this has caused Hurst to rethink her position.
   ``As I examine the remaining Republican primary candidates, I will be
searching for someone who best represents my political views, and inspires
a sense of loyalty,'' Hurst said in announcing her withdrawal from the
Gramm campaign. ``I will look for someone who employs experienced,
professional, respectful staff members.''