Exeter's Quandt to Run for House Speaker

State Rep. Lee Quandt, R-Exeter, announced this week he will run for House Speaker.

Quandt is trying to keep his seat in the Nov. 6 election. After the election, the full House votes on who should be Speaker.

Current House Speaker Bill O'Brien, R-Mont Vernon, is also running for re-election and wants to retain his leadership post.

Quandt is a staunch critic of O'Brien. The pair have an interesting history – O'Brien booted Quandt from the House Finance Committee last year after Quandt criticized the Republican budget plan. And Quandt, who's pro-union, denounced O'Brien's recent effort to shepherd through a Right-to-Work bill that would have stripped unions of some of their power.

“The most important thing that exists in any Legislature is that each member knows that they will be treated with the respect and dignity that they are due as an elected member of the New Hampshire House,” Quandt said in a statement this week. “I promise first and foremost to never forget that, no matter what party you are, no matter what position on a bill you have, even if it is different position than mine, you will have the right to express that position without fear of retaliation. Respect and decorum will be the standards by which I propose to run the New Hampshire House.”

Quandt, 65, is a lifelong resident of Exeter. He's a former state probation/parole officer and fought in Vietnam.

Quandt has served as a state representative for five term. He's married and had three children. His son, Matt, is a state representative and chairman of the Exeter Board of Selectmen.