Buckley's Bungled 'A-10' Snark Targets Ayotte's Husband, Outrages Veterans

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

New Hampshire Democratic Party Chairman Ray Buckley’s penchant for petty personal attacks and low-rent internet snark backfired Monday when he tried to ding GOP gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte over her husband Joseph Daley’s personalized license plate.

The problem is Buckley, who never served in the military and is generally unfamiliar with veterans issues, didn’t understand what Daley’s “A-10” license plate meant.

The party chief’s problems began with an X post by Ayotte regarding comments from a member of Gov. Maura Healey’s administration proposing tolls at the state line and hopes of punishing people who choose to drive large pick-up trucks.

“My husband, a proud pickup truck owner, only has one thing to say to [Gov. Healey]: Come and Take It,” she posted.

“The funniest part of Kelly’s silly post is show [sic] us that her husband’s license plate is ‘A-10.'” Buckley responded on X. “Would that be to commerate [sic] Kelly’s one and ONLY victory in 2010? They’ll [sic] be no need to update it after November…”

Only one problem: “A-10” is a reference not to the 2010 election but to Daley’s time in the Air Force. He was an A-10 pilot who flew combat missions in Iraq, and he received a Meritorious Service Medal for his service.

Daley laughed off Buckley’s blown attempt at a political attack.

“I’m proud to have fought for Ray Buckley’s right to be an idiot,” Daley said. “What’s next for Ray, burning a few American flags?”

Air Force LTC Joseph Daley

Others were not so forgiving.

“Disrespecting any veteran’s family member is sad, given the sacrifices families make when loved ones go into harm’s way,” said Rep. Mike Moffett, a retired USMC officer and chair of the House Veterans Committee. “We need Kelly Ayotte in the corner office. She understands and appreciates the veterans community.”

Rather than apologize, Buckley stayed true to form and kept firing.

“Only the desperate dying NH Republican Party would attempt to gaslight with fake rage a joke about Ayotte only winning one election in her life,” he tweeted.

“Election Year tip for you, Chairman Buckley,” responded GOP activist Kate Day. “Don’t put down veterans and people who drive pick-up trucks. It’s not a good look—even for Democrats.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.