New Hampshire state Sen. Jeff Woodburn (D-Whitefield) was arrested Thursday on domestic violence charges stemming from a series of incidents in 2017 and 2018.
According to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s office, Woodburn, a divorced father of five children, is accused of attacking a woman, striking her in the face and stomach on several occasions, and biting her hand and arm, leaving bruise marks. Woodburn also allegedly kicked down the woman’s locked door on Christmas Eve last year, causing damage to the door casing.
He faces a total of nine class A misdemeanor charges.
It’s unclear whether the woman listed in the charges against Woodburn is his fiancée, to whom he became engaged last November, and who he has known since childhood. In a Facebook post last year, he called her “my treasure.”
The state’s Republican governor, Chris Sununu, has already called on Woodburn to resign.
“Senator Woodburn’s morally reprehensible, violent behavior has no place in public service, or anywhere else,” Sununu tweeted Thursday. “Domestic violence will not be tolerated in New Hampshire. Senator Woodburn must resign. Immediately.”
The state Senate Democratic Caucus issued its own rebuke Thursday evening, writing in a joint statement, “Elected officials must be held to the highest standards. We have zero tolerance for any forms of sexual harassment, sexual assault, or domestic violence. The allegations against Senator Woodburn are serious and cannot be tolerated anywhere across our country […]. Senator Woodburn is entitled to full due process, but we jointly call on him to resign effective immediately.”
Only one Democrat, state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro of Manchester, declined to sign on to the joint statement. According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, D’Allesandro is the longest-serving senator of his party.
Senator Woodburn's morally reprehensible, violent behavior has no place in public service, or anywhere else. Domestic violence will not be tolerated in New Hampshire. Senator Woodburn must resign. Immediately.
— Chris Sununu (@GovChrisSununu) August 2, 2018
RELEASE: Joint Statement From Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus #nhpolitics pic.twitter.com/6dUDzg7shI
— NH Senate Democrats (@NHSenateDems) August 2, 2018
Woodburn, who turned himself in voluntarily, says he plans to fight the charges.
“This afternoon, I learned that a warrant had been issued for my arrest. I voluntarily responded to the police station, cooperated with law enforcement during the booking process and was released,” he said in a statement. “I intend to fully address and defend against these charges in court.”
The Washington Post notes that, as one of New Hampshire’s leading Democrats, presidential candidates in the state’s first-in-the-nation primary traditionally seek Woodburn’s support and endorsement.
Woodburn’s arrest comes amid the growing “Me Too” movement, which has revealed scores of abuse or assault allegations by dozens of high-powered or prominent men, many of them in the political sphere. Earlier this year, Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens was arrested and indicted on a felony invasion of privacy charge, after being accused of taking a nude photo of a woman with whom he had been having an affair, without her consent, and threatening to blackmail her with it if she went public about the relationship. The charge was later dropped after investigators were unable to find the photo in question.
In April, the woman also accused Greitens of hitting her and sexually assaulting her, claims which were detailed in a 25-page Missouri House committee report, all of which Greitens has denied. The Missouri governor later resigned on May 29.