NH Human Rights Commissioner Enters GOP Congressional Race

DOVER, NH — A long-time Republican activist and founding member of the Log Cabin Republicans of New Hampshire, the organization for LGBT conservatives, has entered the 2020 GOP primary to challenge first-term incumbent, U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH. Matt Mayberry of Dover, who is currently the commissioner for the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights, announced his effort with a list of more than two dozen Republicans leaders endorsing him including former Gov. Craig Benson, current legislative leaders Chuck Morse and Jeb Bradley, and a slew of other state Senators, representatives, and business executives from across the state. Mayberry said he was "thrilled" to have their support.

"I am honored to have their trust and support," Mayberry said. "In the coming months, I will be traveling to every single town, city, and neighborhood meeting with voters, looking them in the eye, and listening to the issues important to them, their families and businesses."

Mayberry said, if elected, he would support small businesses, work to fight the opioid epidemic, make sure education in the state was second to none, support veterans, and protect the rights and freedoms of citizens. He added the PFAs contaminant issue in drinking water, infrastructure like replacing aging wastewater treatment plants, and preserving — and expanding — work at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard were issues he would tackle.

"We have too many show horses in Washington," he said. "We need to send a work horse and I've worked hard my whole life."

Veterans, he added, had been hurt by Pappas who hadn't worked to ensure practitioners in New Hampshire were paid millions of dollars in back payments from the Veterans Administration despite being chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Sub-Committee of the Veterans Affairs Committee.

"(Pappas) would rather spend millions of dollars reinforcing his hatred of President Trump by impeaching him rather than fighting to pay the medical bills of New Hampshire veterans," Mayberry said.

Fiscal restraint, too, was needed in Washington, he said, adding that he supported the line item veto, the balanced budget amendment, term limits, and making the Trump tax cuts permanent. The former city councilor and school board member suggested the need for a law to ensure every new regulation or law introduced by Congress would be followed by "two pieces of red tape to be eliminated."

If Mayberry wins the Republican nomination, it will be the first time in American history that an openly gay Republican and openly gay Democrat face off in a general election for a Congressional seat.

Mayberry joins Matt Mowers, who announced his bid for the 1st Congressional District seat earlier this week. Mowers announced Thursday that he had raised around $100,000 in 24 hours. Eddie Edwards, the 2018 Republican nominee, has not announced whether he will be running again.

Other potential candidates, according to the NHJournal, are Newtown Town Selectman Matt Burill and state Rep. Bill Fowler of Seabrook.

Got a news tip? Send it to me at tony.schinella@patch.com.

View videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/tonyschinella.

Follow the New Hampshire Patch Politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.