A former Trump administration State Department staffer on Monday filed for a rematch against Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., in the 2022 midterms, according to The Hill.
Matt Mowers lost to Pappas last October in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District. He filed with the Federal Election Commission and reportedly will launch an official campaign next week.
Mowers lost by about 5 points, despite having former President Donald Trump’s support and beating out four other Republicans in the GOP primary.
The state’s First District seat was won by Pappas by almost 9 points in 2018, but it is a highly competitive battleground district, having flipped between parties for two decades, according to the report.
Mowers will be a key candidate in helping the Republican Party close a narrow margin in the House majority held by Pappas’ Democrats.
The party in the White House has historical faced losing seats in midterm elections, but the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) took a shot at Mowers with a press release calling him out in the “Republican Trump Impersonation Contest.”
DCCC Spokesperson James Singer wrote in a statement:
“Last November, voters in New Hampshire rejected shadow lobbyist Matt Mowers for being the out-of-touch and out-of-state swamp creature that he is — and they will do so again. Mowers joins a pro-Trump, far-right GOP primary more focused on poor impersonations of Donald Trump than providing any real solutions for Granite State families.”
