One day after securing the Republican nomination in the state's 1st Congressional District race, Matt Mowers said he’ll be vying for the support of moderate voters as he takes on incumbent Democratic Congressman Chris Pappas.
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Mowers defeated long-time state GOP activist and party official Matt Mayberry by a nearly 35-point margin Tuesday, buoyed by the endorsement of President Trump. But Mowers said his support of - and from - Trump won’t be his focus during the general election.
Rather, he said he’ll focus on the needs of the district’s middle class voters.
“When I give them my word I’ll keep it,” said Mowers, speaking on NHPR’s The Exchange Wednesday morning. “And I will fight tirelessly every single day for New Hampshire’s middle class, for New Hampshire’s law enforcement, for New Hampshire’s veterans, for New Hampshire’s small business owners. That’s my commitment.”
Later that morning, Pappas staked his own claim for bipartisan appeal, releasing a list of 100 registered and former Republicans and independents who support his reelection.
One of them is Betty Tamposi, a Republican and a former official in the first Bush administration. Tamposi said Pappas can rally support from people of all political sides.
“We need someone that knows how to build bridges and not walls,” Tamposi said. “So Chris is temperamentally cut out for this.”
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Pappas served on the state's Executive Council before winning a seat in Congress two years ago. Mowers worked on the Trump campaign in 2016 and served in the State Department for the administration.
