From Eric Dondero:

State Representative Steve Vallaincourt is without doubt New Hampshires most outspoken and quixotic legislator.

He is a self-described "Libertarian-Republican," (with the slash). He was originally elected to the House as a Democrat. But in 2000 he ran on the Libertarian ticket. He won as a Libertarian, and for two years served as America's only elected Libertarian legislator. After the term he switched to the Republican Party, but still continued to identify himself as a Libertarian.

Vallaincourt has a knack for national publicity. Ballot Access News explained in May of 2009:

Steve Vaillancourt is a Republican state legislator in New Hampshire who in 2000 was elected to the legislature solely as a Libertarian Party nominee. He has been in the national news this week. Two weeks ago, the New Hampshire legislature passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage. Governor John Lynch said he would only sign that bill if it were amended to provide extra protection for individuals who do not ever want to be forced to participate in anything involving same-sex marriage.

On May 20, the House rejected the Governor’s proposed amendments to the bill, by a two vote margin. Vaillancourt, who is gay, and who supports same-sex marriage, feels the Governor’s amendments are bad policy, and spoke on the House floor against the Governor’s amendments. See this story.

Vaillancourt became the Libertarian Party nominee in 2000. He had been a Democratic house member but he had run and lost the Democratic primary for State Senate in August. After he was defeated in that primary, he asked the Libertarian Party to nominate him for his House seat.

Now, Vallaincourt is back in the national news, this time headlining on Fox News over the raging Sarah Palin controversy. A NH Democrat legislator commented on a Facebook page, that he wished Sarah Palin had been on the downed plane that killed former Alaska Senator Ted Stevens over the weekend. Democrat Rep. Keith David Halloran, a self-described "progressive," wrote:

"Just wish Sarah and Levy were on board..."

A colleague of Halloran's State Rep. Timothy Horrigan, D-Durham, who is also a progressive, then wrote:

"Well a dead Palin wd be even more dangerous than a live one...she is all about her myth & if she was dead she cldn't commit any more gaffes."

Both legislators have since tendered their resignations to the State Party Chair.

But now, Vallaincourt is coming to the defense of Horrigan, saying that he was misinterpreted. From the Manchester Union-Leader:

"Rep. Horrigan didn't wish anyone dead; he simply stated a political truth," Vaillaincourt wrote. "Were Sarah Palin to die today, her myth, like actor James Dean, would surpass anything she's done in life. If Dem officials took Rep. Horrigan to the woodshed for these remarks, they rather than he should be resigning."

There has been no reaction yet from either the Republican Party in New Hampshire or the Libertarian Party to Vallaincourt's remarks.