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Reminder: Christie is a top Mowers supporter and his former boss. Christie and his wife hosted a major fundraiser for Mowers last September, giving nearly $12,000 to Mowers directly. Christie has declared he was “certain that I’ll be here for Matt” on the campaign trail this year.
Read and watch the full report from WMUR:
Republican CD-1 candidate Leavitt blasts Mowers over Christie’s support
Loyalty to Trump becomes issue in Republican primary
MANCHESTER, N.H. —
In the Republican race for Congress in New Hampshire’s 1st District, loyalty to former President Donald Trump is becoming a major point of contention.
In his recent visit to the Granite State, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he hasn’t made up his mind about a run for president in 2024, but he’s already playing in New Hampshire’s closely watched 1st Congressional District Republican primary.
The 2020 Republican nominee, Matt Mowers, got his start as an aide to Christie, who went out of his way to praise Mowers during his visit to New Hampshire on Monday.
“And I’m certain that I’ll be here for Matt Mowers over the course of his congressional campaign to help him try to get it over the finish line this November,” Christie said.
While not unexpected, Christie’s backing of Mowers is being raised as an issue in the primary because of Christie’s criticism of Trump. Christie chastised Trump for his inaction during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Matt Mowers moved to New Hampshire to solely run Chris Christie’s failed presidential campaign, and so now he has a question to answer,” said Republican candidate Karoline Leavitt. “Voters deserve to know, does he stand with Chris Christie and the ‘Never Trump’ movement as exemplified yesterday, or does he stand with President Trump and the America First movement that they believe in?”
Like Mowers, Leavitt served in the Trump administration. In the crowded and competitive 1st District GOP primary, she has been the candidate most outspoken in repeatedly attacking Mowers over ties to Republicans critical of Trump.
“Voters deserve to have a strong representative in Washington, D.C.,” she said. “We cannot afford to elect a Republican version of Chris Pappas.”
To this point in the campaign, when Leavitt has launched such attacks, Mowers has ignored her, until now.
“Given Matt’s significant lead in the race, we expect desperate attacks but not unfounded ones,” a Mowers campaign official said in a written statement. “Matt Mowers is the only candidate who worked for President Trump on his historic 2016 campaign, proudly served in President Trump’s State Department, earned his full endorsement in 2020 and has always supported the America First agenda.”
“He is a longtime political operative from New Jersey who moved to my home state of New Hampshire to run for office,” Leavitt said. “This is not your political launching pad. This is my home.”
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