The New Hampshire Division of Justice says Matt Mowers, a Republican congressional candidate within the state’s 1st District, acted in compliance with state regulation when he voted in New Hampshire’s 2016 presidential main earlier than voting once more 4 months later within the presidential main in his native state of New Jersey.
Mowers, 32, now lives in Gilford, however in 2016, resided in Manchester whereas working as a marketing campaign aide for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie throughout his failed presidential bid. Later, Mowers took a place based mostly out of the New York marketing campaign workplace of former President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors opened an inquiry of Mowers’ voting document after the Related Press reported on it earlier this yr.
“We conclude, based mostly on a assessment of intensive documentary proof, that you simply established domicile in New Hampshire for voting functions in the course of the time wherein you voted right here,” wrote Myles B. Matteson, deputy counsel for the state Legal professional Basic’s Workplace, in a letter launched Thursday to Mowers.
“We additionally conclude that your 2016 votes within the presidential primaries in New Hampshire and New Jersey don’t represent a violation of New Hampshire election regulation as you established domicile in New Jersey previous to voting there.”
Mowers was his social gathering’s 2020 nominee in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
His voting document by no means got here up in that race, when Mowers largely ran on his endorsement by Trump. Democratic incumbent Chris Pappas beat Mowers by 5 factors.
Mowers is now vying for a rematch in a crowded Republican main the place “election integrity” is a key concern.
Mowers had, from the beginning, maintained he did nothing fallacious by voting in two totally different presidential primaries. The lawyer normal’s workplace assessment of the matter was restricted to New Hampshire legal guidelines.
Critics of Mowers conduct additionally level to a federal statute that bars “voting greater than as soon as” in “any normal, particular, or main election,” however the Related Press reported that the statute of limitations on that regulation has expired and that there isn’t any document of anybody being prosecuted for violating it.
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