US House hopeful Mowers raised $354K in first quarter; campaign says it’s a primary record for a GOP candidate in NH
Former Trump White House adviser to State Department vying to take on Pappas in general election
Former Trump White House adviser to State Department vying to take on Pappas in general election
First-time Republican U.S. House candidate Matt Mowers raised a record $354,000 in the first quarter of 2020, his campaign said Sunday.
Mowers is one of two major candidates vying for the 1st District Republican nomination to take on Democratic U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas in the November general election. Candidates for federal office must file their first quarter campaign finance reports public with the Federal Election Commission by April 15.
While Mowers’ fundraising report is not yet available, his campaign shared some key points with WMUR.
The campaign said the total raised for the quarter “represents, in New Hampshire, the most money raised by a Republican candidate, including incumbents, during a primary -- as well as the second-largest Republican quarter ever posted.”
Mowers did not loan or contribute any money to his committee, the campaign said, stressing that the entire $354,000 was raised from donors. The campaign said it spent $39,000 during the quarter, leaving $315,000 in cash on hand as of March 31.
Pappas, who is seeking a second term, has not yet shared his first quarter fundraising information. In the fourth quarter of 2019, he raised $356,297 and entered 2020 with $988,389 in cash on hand.
Mowers, 30, is a former executive director of the New Hampshire Republican Party and former aide to former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both in Christie’s gubernatorial office and political operation.
After heading Christie’s New Hampshire presidential primary campaign during the 2016 cycle, Mowers held a key organizing role in then-candidate Donald Trump’s general election campaign.
Soon after Trump took office, Mowers was named a senior White House adviser to the State Department. Among his roles was chief of staff to Dr. Deborah Birx, who is now White House coronavirus response coordinator.
Mowers returned to New Hampshire after leaving the State Department post and established a consulting firm and a home in Bedford. His many connections to the Trump political organization and to Republicans in Washington and New Hampshire are expected to provide him with important fundraising sources for his campaign.
He announced his candidacy in mid-January and told WMUR a few days after he declared that he had raised about $100,000 in his first day as a candidate. He was backed by a long list of key Trump friends and associates and was recently named to the National Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Young Guns – On the Radar” program.
Among Mowers’ supporters is Trump campaign senior adviser Corey Lewandowski of Windham, who said, “In 2018, Nancy Pelosi spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on negative ads in New Hampshire to elect Chris Pappas. The Pelosi machine will do the same thing in 2020 and we need a well-funded grassroots candidate that can build the organization needed to defeat Chris Pappas. Matt Mowers is that guy.”
Mowers’ campaign said the record amount of money was raised despite canceling seven fundraisers, including a planned event with Christie, due to the coronavirus outbreak. Mowers held an online fundraising event with Lewandowski last week.
His campaign said he he has also been volunteering during the coronavirus pandemic by delivering masks made by a Bedford sewing group and purchasing takeout meals from small businesses.
“I am deeply grateful to all of our supporters for enthusiastically backing our vision for a new generation of conservative leadership in New Hampshire,” Mowers said.
“While the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted our focus to assisting our community and small businesses, we know that we have to be prepared for the Pelosi-Pappas onslaught as soon as we return to the campaign trail. We raised this historic figure without compromising our principles, allowing us to run a robust, grassroots-focused campaign against far-left Chris Pappas this fall.”
Mowers was also praised by longtime conservative leader Karen Testerman of Franklin, who said, “It is incredible to see a conservative grassroots candidate like Matt Mowers raise a record fundraising total as a first-time candidate. Matt Mowers has prioritized helping our New Hampshire community get through this crisis and at the same time has maintained a strong campaign that will be ready to defeat Chris Pappas in November.”
“Matt Mowers has been working to support our community during these trying times, and is the only candidate that has the experience, organization and resources in the race needed to win this campaign,” added Mowers’ supporter Ellen Christo, a Seacoast attorney and veteran GOP activist.
The other major candidate in the 1st District Republican U.S. House primary campaign is former state Republican Party vice chair and former Dover City Councilor Matt Mayberry.
