Rosemarie Rung

Rosemarie Rung
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
from the Hillsborough 21st district
Assumed office
December 5, 2018
Personal details
PartyDemocratic

Rosemarie Rung is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives since 2018.

Education

Rung earned a BS in biochemistry.[1]

Career

On November 6, 2018, Rung was elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives where she represents the Hillsborough 21 district. She assumed office on December 5, 2018.[2]

In January 2021, House Speaker Sherman Packard removed Rung from her committee assignments following a social-media post in which she urged New Hampshire police to denounce the Troy police chief's attendance at the January 6 rally in Washington, D.C.[3] The Speaker later ordered Rung to leave a committee meeting, citing House rules and decorum concerns.[4] The actions drew coverage from regional outlets and wire services.[5][6][7]

In February 2022, Rung faced criticism from some fellow Democrats over comments about considering “context” around the use of a racial slur amid an intra-caucus dispute. The dispute involved allegations that a fellow Democratic legislator had used a racial slur. In a post discussing the incident, Rung wrote that "the n-word is never acceptable, but having context helps understand the motivation," and drew an analogy to evaluating self-defense in a physical altercation.[8] Her comments were interpreted by some activists and progressive organizations as attempting to justify or excuse the language, prompting widespread criticism within the state party.[8] Rung later clarified that she did not condone the use of racial slurs, stating that her intent was to encourage understanding of the circumstances surrounding the exchange. She also expressed concern that her colleague had “been under immense stress from antisemitism and felt threatened … because she is Jewish.”[9]

Personal life

Rung resides in Merrimack, New Hampshire.[10] Rung is married and has three children.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "Rosemarie Rung". Citizens Count. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  2. ^ "Rosemarie Rung". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  3. ^ Tracy 2021.
  4. ^ West 2021.
  5. ^ "NH Democrat loses committee seats over tweet about rioters". WCAX (AP). January 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "NH Democratic Lawmaker Loses Committee Seats Over Tweet About Rioters". NBC Boston. January 19, 2021.
  7. ^ "Democratic state representative stripped of committee assignments over tweet". WMUR. January 18, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Graham, Michael (February 6, 2022). "Progressives Target Rep. Rung for Urging Dems Consider 'Context' of Using N-Word". NH Journal.
  9. ^ Graham, Michael (February 8, 2022). "Rung: Knight Faced 'Antisemitism' from Dems, 'Felt Threatened'". Patch.
  10. ^ "Representative Rosemarie Rung (D)". New Hampshire General Court. Retrieved June 5, 2020.