New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District Republican candidate Matt Mowers, who is looking to unseat vulnerable Democrat Rep. Chris Pappas, hammered the incumbent in a statement to Breitbart News for “not showing up for work” after a report revealed he continuously proxy voted last year and allowing it to continue while covering for colleagues.
As a result of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) continuously extending the ability for members of Congress to vote by proxy – despite some Republican pushback citing that members should lead by example – Pappas filed documents with the Office of the House Clerk five times to proxy vote last year, designating that another member will vote for him, NH Journal reported.
In response to this, Mowers, the Republican nominee against Pappas in 2020, told Breitbart News, “We knew Chris Pappas had been hopelessly lost to D.C. elites who want to tell you how to live your lives and then don’t follow their own rules. Now that he’s not showing up for work, that really takes the cake though.”
While he hasn’t voted by proxy since October, Pappas is listed as the proxy voter for vulnerable Democrat Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), who recently had his home raided by federal agents at the beginning of the year. Cuellar’s letter explained that he’s “unable to physically attend the proceedings in the House Chamber, due to the ongoing public health emergency.”
Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) attends a groundbreaking ceremony for a $1.7 billion dry dock project at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on September 8, 2021, in Kittery, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
NH Journal also explained that the “motive” to avoid the dangers of coronavirus is “COVID infection and hospitalization rates have plunged nationally to their lowest levels since last July.” Recently, Washington, DC announced that restrictions would be relaxed because “the virus transmission has dropped dramatically.” D.C.’s health department also said people can take “minimal indoor precautions against the virus.”
“It’s a slap in the face to the many Granite Staters who worked on the frontlines of the pandemic. They bravely showed up day in and day out — unable to enjoy Pelosi’s extended spring break,” Mowers continued. “Even now, as families in our district scramble for new sources of income, crushed under the Biden-Pappas 70s-style inflation, Pappas phones it in and runs cover for his pals under federal investigation. Unlike Chris Pappas, I will proudly show up to work and fight tirelessly on behalf of the First District each and every day.”
Pappas could see trouble in the midterms later this year. Mowers – who worked in Trump Tower during the 2016 campaign, served on former President Donald Trump’s transition team, and then was a senior White House adviser at the State Department before he ran as a Republican against Pappas in 2020 – has successfully raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for his election, has been continuously calling out Pappas for his mistakes.
Mowers has called out Pappas for his poor voting record — voting for the Build Back Better Act, the Democrats’ reconciliation infrastructure bill – and failing Granite Staters by being blindly loyal to President Joe Biden.
He has also called on Pappas to take action against members and their spouses for profiting off corrupt insider trading practices and to condemn television ads funded by billionaire Bill Gates’ “dark money” organization which thanked him for supporting the Democrats’ radical spending packages.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.
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