Granite State Coup Is Hatched in the Bathroom

Here's a cautionary tale for Republicans everywhere. Machiavelli would be proud of Ted Gatsas, an ambitious GOP member of the New Hampshire state senate, where the chamber's president resigned his leadership post last month after a row with Mr. Gatsas that split the GOP caucus and rallied Democrats to one faction's side. As a result, Mr. Gatsas is the new Senate president.

At issue was Sen. Tom Eaton's management style, or lack of it. He angered fellow senators by delegating his responsibilities to staffers, who all but ran the senate's affairs. There were personal problems, too. Sen. Bob Clegg, resigned as majority leader after he intercepted email from Mr. Eaton's office outlining a plan to boot him from his post.

But Mr. Eaton's biggest foe was Sen. Gatsas, who last year opposed Mr. Eaton's re-election as president. Mr. Eaton retaliated by assigning him to a bathroom-turned-office in the basement. The two also argued publicly about staffing. On policy matters, Mr. Gatsas was a constant pain in Mr. Eaton's side. He twice built coalitions with Democrats to pass legislation that the leadership opposed, including a law that transferred property tax proceeds for education from wealthier communities to poorer ones, and another law trying to dictate that insurance companies cut health insurance rates for small business.

It was Mr. Gatsas who convinced nine Republicans and five Democrats to call a special session and elect a new leader, which happened to be him. He brought Democrats on-board with promises of more staff, more money and various policy concessions to be named later. He also cultivated the press and lobbyists: "I make myself available to whomever wants to talk to me, whomever wants to see me," he said.

Democratic Governor John Lynch doesn't seem too broken up over the change in the Senate GOP leadership, which is likely to pay off in more favors for Democrats. After the vote, Mr. Gatsas and his allies moved to offices on higher floors. The basement remains empty. Some say Mr. Eaton might have saved his job by firing his two top aides, Chief of Staff Amy Ireland Bourgault and Deputy Jay Flanders. Loyal to the end, he instead granted them $30,000 in bonus and severance pay as one of his last acts.