Our government is broken at all levels, and many believe that Democrat Congressman Chris Pappas is someone that needs to be held accountable and replaced. One of his potential challengers is Republican candidate Matt Mowers.
Mowers is an engaging, warm, charismatic person, and he comes across as a very a nice guy. Those are important attributes for someone who serves in government and needs to work with others – but making good decisions is even more important.
We all have flaws and make mistakes. All of us. But we’re not making decisions that will impact our federal government. Matt Mowers is asking that we elect him to do just that.
However, when I look at some of his past decisions I scratch my head and wonder “what was he thinking?” Voting twice in the same election is just one example.
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This past April, the Union Leader reported that Mowers voted twice in the 2016 presidential primary – once in NH, and then again in NJ.
According to this article (emphasis mine),
“Election records show Mowers, state director of 2016 presidential candidate Chris Christie’s campaign, voted in the New Hampshire primary by absentee ballot in February 2016.”
“Mowers left the state and returned to his native New Jersey, gave his parents’ address to register to vote there in March and then voted for Donald Trump in New Jersey’s presidential primary on June 7.”
“Federal law bars voting more than once in any election, including in separate states for the same contest like a presidential primary, but the statute of limitations for voter fraud is five years, which has run out in this case.”
During a Meet and Greet in July, Mowers admitted he voted twice in the 2016 GOP Presidential Primary. Whether you are a Mowers supporter or not… the optics are not good. Especially since Mowers has embraced election integrity as part of his campaign platform.
“We need to make sure we have confidence in our elections“, Mowers told WMUR in January, “It is one of the most sacred obligations that we have.”
His actions and words do not align. They appear to reflect a “do as I say and not as I do” attitude that we see in so many elected officials at so many levels of government. I reviewed federal election law 52 United States Code Section 10307 – Prohibited acts, subsection E, which appears to confirm the article linked above.
With all this in mind, if Republicans want to defeat Chris Pappas, I believe they will need a stronger candidate – especially with election integrity being a significant election issue. Mowers admitted he voted twice in the same election, and I believe that crosses the line for many voters. That single issue is all that Chris Pappas needs to defeat Mowers if he were to become the GOP nominee for CD-1. There are other controversial decisions that will peel off other voters away from Mowers
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Fortunately for NH, there are some excellent alternatives in the CD-1 Congressional race who would serve NH well. If NH voters want a real change in our Congressional Delegation in Washington, they should do their own research and then cast an informed vote for someone who can beat Pappas.