Tony Labranche

Tony Labranche (born November 11, 2001) is a New Hampshire politician. He was the youngest member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives[1] and the youngest openly LGBTQ+ legislator in United States history.[2]

Tony Labranche
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
from the Hillsborough 22nd district
In office
December 3, 2020 – August 8, 2022
Succeeded byNicole Leapley
Personal details
Born (2001-11-11) November 11, 2001
Nashua, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political party
Residence(s)Amherst, New Hampshire, U.S.
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life

Tony Labranche was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on November 11, 2001, to parents Patrick Labranche and Sandra Martin. Both of whom are originally from Thetford Mines, Québec where the majority of his family still lives today.[3] Labranche was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer at age ten.[4] In 2014, Labranche moved to Amherst, New Hampshire.[5]

Education

Labranche graduated from Souhegan High School in early 2020.[6][7] Labranche currently attends Nashua Community College and is majoring in political science.[8][3]

Political career

In April 2020 Labranche was selected to serve as an alternate delegate for Bernie Sanders at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.[9][10]

While finishing his senior year of high school Labranche ran unsuccessfully for the Souhegan Cooperative School Board.[5][4] Labranche then pursued a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Labranche won that bid,[11] and took office on December 3, 2020.[6]

In 2021 Labranche ran for Rules Committee of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.[12] In the same year Labranche ran again for a seat on the Souhegan Cooperative School Board unsuccessfully.[13]

In 2022 Labranche announced that he would leave the Democratic Party and caucus as an Independent. He cited issues with New Hampshire Democratic Party Leadership, Joe Biden's COVID-19 response, and the two-party system as reasons for his departure.[14]

On August 8, 2022, Labranche resigned from the New Hampshire House of Representatives.[15]

References
  1. "Representative Tony Labranche (D)". The New Hampshire House of Representatives. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  2. Flores, Andrew; Gossett, Charles. "11 openly LGBTQ lawmakers will take their seats in the next Congress. That's a record in both numbers and diversity". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  3. Fortier, Claudia (November 6, 2020). "L'un des plus jeunes élus aux États-Unis a des racines thetfordoises". Courrier Frontenac (in Canadian French). Retrieved February 6, 2021.
  4. Mackin, Jean (November 5, 2020). "18-year-old from Amherst elected to New Hampshire state house". WMUR. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  5. Labranche, Tony. "Tony Labranche: Who I am and Why I'm Running". The Claw.
  6. "Tony Labranche - Hills. District 22". NH General Court.
  7. "Class of 2020" (PDF). The Amherst Citizen. June 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. "Tony Labranche, Amherst School Board Candidate". Amherst, NH Patch. May 29, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  9. Sylvia, Andrew (April 28, 2020). "Two Manchester residents selected as DNC Delegates". manchesterinklink.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  10. Summerson, Mia. "New Hampshire Democrats elect convention delegates virtually". SentinelSource.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  11. Houghton, Kimberly. "Amherst teen elected to state legislature". UnionLeader.com. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
  12. "2021 Officer Elections". NHDP. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  13. Schinella, Tony (June 9, 2021). "Pray, D'Angelo Win Amherst Selectmen Seats". Amherst, NH Patch. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  14. "Rep. Tony Labranche". Twitter. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  15. "RDSE 17-18.pdf" (PDF). New Hampshire General Court. September 11, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
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