What began as a comfortable race for a Kevin McCarthy-backed candidate has turned into a heated preliminary controversy, pitting some of MAGA’s world’s biggest names against each other as the race returns. end barrier.
Along the affluent Seacoast precinct of Granite State in Congressional District 1, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s Congressional Leadership Fund has spent more than $1.3 million promoting Matt Mowers, a former adviser Trump’s White House at the State Department. PAC also booked $407,369 ad buy for Mowers on Friday.
On the other side is Representative Elise Stefanik (NY), the third-ranked Republican in the House, who is backing her former press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. At 25, Leavitt will be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress if she wins the general election.
Assertions in the primary — with Mowers and Leavitt ancient and ancient in the latest University of New Hampshire poll since late August — has largely fallen along lines similar to other MAGA proxy warsbut county demographics and House leadership involvement give this power struggle its own flavor.
Representative Jim Jordan (OH) endorsed Leavitt on Thursday, joining other Trump hardliners such as Senator Ted Cruz (TX), Senator Mike Lee (UT), Representative Madison Cawhthorn (NC), former Chief of Defense Staff Kash Patel, as well as State Representative Al Baldasaro, principal of the MAGA New Hampshire wing.
In addition to McCarthy, Mowers has the support of Representative Steve Scalise (LA), a minority – as well as Senator Tom Cotton (AR), Trump’s former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and Nikki Haley, who served as a congressman. ceramic. to the United Nations under the former president.
Leavitt has attacked Mowers, most recently during his time as chief of staff to Dr. Deborah Birx when she was in charge of the Trump administration’s AIDS relief emergency plan. While there is no overlap with Birx in the White House during the COVID-19 pandemic, Leavitt criticized Birx as a “STATE DOCTOR” on Twitter.
Mowers has been less vocal about his own attacks, but Leavitt remains the subject of ridicule in negative ads from outside groups.
An offensive ad from Defending Main Street Super PAC, the organization aligned with moderate Republicans, features Snapchat footage of Leavitt saying, “Listen, you have pockets” and describing her as a ” Gen-Zer awakens”, who “records everything”.
With a chance for the Republicans to oust second-term Representative Chris Pappas (D)—which seat is considered a Democrat? throw up according to Cook’s Political Report — outside money poured into the race. The lion’s share of that spending benefited Mowers, totaling just over $2.5 million as of September 1, despite Leavitt’s first run for office. Her service, has proven to be an extraordinary fundraiser with over $1.2 million raised. five and $666.00 cash, according to OpenSecrets.
Mowers, who earned the GOP nomination before losing to Pappas by 5 percentage points in 2020, loaned himself $102,220 ahead of the second-quarter deadline, according to campaign financial filings. Stefanik’s PAC has given Leavitt’s campaign $10,000 so far this year, according to OpenSecrets.
He’s a history at local party events who pop up whenever potential presidential candidates are in town, including with cotton at his rally through Granite State just weeks before the 2020 election. He was also there when the former Vice President Mike Pence mentioned the Hillsborough County GOP annual fundraiser. Hailing from New Jersey’s Bergen County, Mowers moved to New Hampshire in 2013 to serve as executive director of the state GOP, according to New Jersey Globe.
Leavitt grew up in Atkinson, NH, where her parents owned Leavitt’s Ice Cream. A 2019 graduate of Saint Anselm College, she joined the Trump administration the summer after graduation to work under Kayleigh McEnany. In addition to his experience at the White House and as Stefanik’s press secretary, Leavitt spent three years with WMUR, the only local broadcaster in New Hampshire.
Neither the Mowers nor Leavitt campaigns returned requests for comment.
McCarthy and Stefanik’s PACs also did not return requests for comment.
“NRCC does not participate in primaries,” NRCC Communications Director Michael McAdams told The Daily Beast.
Neither former President Trump nor New Hampshire Republican Governor Chris Sununu confirmed in the race.
But Trump’s endorsement here would be risky and likely won’t come with the usual boost in a close primary debate such as this one. According to the latest UNH poll, it could ultimately backfire.
The poll found that approving Trump would make 36% of undecided voters less likely to vote for that candidate, compared with just 16% of the group who said it would make them more likely to vote. more likely to support his choice.
According to Andrew Smith, UNH’s executive director of voting, regional characteristics play a role in higher education and income voters than New Hampshire’s 2nd district in the western half of the state.
Then there’s former Boston local TV reporter Gail Huff-Brown, who, Smith noted, could end up being a potential beneficiary of the buzz around Leavitt and Mowers.
Smith told The Daily Beast: “Leavitt is the ‘most Trump’ candidate among the candidates, but is considered a 25-year-old underweight. “Huff-Brown would probably benefit from the Mowers-Leavitt mud ride.”
