Mowers airs first GOP ad of 2022 cycle
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Jun. 21—CONCORD — First Congressional District Republican candidate Matt Mowers of Gilford became the first Republican candidate for any office to air a television ad, launching with a commercial criticizing the Biden administration immigration policy.
Campaign aides said the commercial is part of the campaign's $300,000 advertising budget through the Sept. 13 primary election.
"Criminals are illegally crossing the border at record rates because the wall isn't finished and the border patrol is underfunded," said Mowers, who speaks to the camera during the entire 30-second spot.
"Then they go to sanctuary cities like Lawrence and drive up 93 to sell drugs to our kids.
"Joe Biden and Chris Pappas want to give billions to illegals, while gas prices and inflation cripple New Hampshire families. It has to stop."
Mowers said he would support building the wall, increase financial support for the border patrol and oppose giving federal aid to sanctuary cities.
"Joe Biden and Chris Pappas have failed Granite Staters at every turn. Instead of securing the border, tackling inflation, and cracking down on the drug epidemic, Chris Pappas voted to give billions to illegal immigrants and supports the very sanctuary cities that provide safe havens for these criminals," Mowers said.
"In Congress, I'll secure the border, stop Biden and protect New Hampshire."
Democratic Party Chairman Raymond Buckley said Mowers can't escape his own controversies.
"Shadow lobbyist, double voter, and hand-picked candidate of the D.C. Republican establishment Matt Mowers will say anything to obscure his own record," he said.
Buckley said Pappas has been pressing the Biden administration to support congressional legislation to suspend collection of the federal gas tax through the rest of this year.
On Monday, Biden said he will announce his decision about the federal gas tax holiday by the end of this week in time for the July 4 holiday, the busiest travel weekend of the year.
As for fighting the opioid epidemic, Pappas has sponsored legislation to permanently label fentanyl as a Schedule 1 drug to keep it off the streets and supports increasing federal grants for local law enforcement as part of his Safe Communities Agenda.
Mowers is a former State Department official in the Trump administration and had served as executive director of the Republican State Committee.
In 2020, Mowers won the GOP nomination for this seat and lost to Pappas in the general election by about 5% of the vote.
The other major GOP candidates seeking to unseat Pappas are former Trump press aide Karoline Leavitt of Hampton, ex-television news anchor Gail Huff Brown of Rye, state Rep. Timothy Baxter, R-Seabrook, and former Executive Councilor Russell Prescott of Kensington.
