WASHINGTON, Sept 23, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Six siblings of a Republican
congressman from Arizona seeking re-election in November’s midterms have
publicly endorsed his Democratic opponent — all but ensuring an awkward
Thanksgiving family dinner this year.
Paul Gosar, who first entered Congress in 2011 with the backing of the
populist Tea Party movement and is known for his hardline views on
immigration, is odds-on favorite to retain his seat in the rural,
conservative state when he faces Democrat David Brill this fall.
But that hasn’t stopped six of his nine brothers and sisters from featuring
in a series of videos released Friday for the Brill campaign, drawing
surprised and bemused reactions as the family feud plays out across national
media.
In one of the ads, entitled: “Paul Gosar Is Not Working For You,” the
siblings are introduced by only their first name and profession as they take
turns to lay out the case against him.
“If (Arizona voters) care about healthcare, they care about their
children’s healthcare, they would hold him to account,” says physician Grace.
Lawyer David adds: “He’s not listening to you, he doesn’t have your
interests at heart.”
Their last names and identities are finally disclosed in a “reveal” toward
the end, before candidate Brill closes out the video to say he approved the
message.
In a second video, called “A Family Defends Its Honor,” the siblings say
that speaking up against their brother is personally difficult, but they feel
compelled to stand up for what is right.
The congressman hit back on Twitter on Saturday, comparing his siblings to
slavish supporters of Soviet despot Joseph Stalin.
– Mom’s favorite? –
“My siblings who chose to film ads against me are all liberal Democrats who
hate President (Donald) Trump,” he wrote.
“These disgruntled Hillary supporters are related by blood to me but like
leftists everywhere, they put political ideology before family. Stalin would
be proud.”
In another tweet, he complained: “We all have crazy aunts and relatives etc
and my family is no different,” before adding: “To the six angry Democrat
Gosars-see you at Mom and Dad’s house!”
He also approvingly shared a New York Times report that quoted his 85-year-
old mother Bernadette Gosar saying she believes in “the same philosophy and
policies that Paul does,” leading the congressman to gloat: “I guess I really
am Mom’s favorite!”
It is not the first time the Gosar family’s political disagreements have
spilled out in the open.
Last year, seven of the siblings wrote a stinging letter to the Daily
Miner, a local Arizona newspaper, after Gosar suggested the white supremacist
rally that took place in Charlottesville was orchestrated by George Soros, a
liberal billionaire and backer of progressive causes.
Gosar also made headlines earlier this year when he called on police and
Attorney General Jeff Sessions to check the immigration status of protesters
attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address in January.
Democrats are hoping for a strong showing in the November 6 vote, when all
435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, along with 35
seats in the 100-member Senate and more than 30 gubernatorial spots.
Republicans currently hold majorities in both the House and the Senate.
Democrats are hoping that a “blue wave” will propel them to victory in the
House, and the latest polls give them a good chance of doing so.
Gosar, however, can probably rest easy: political forecasting site
FiveThirtyEight currently gives his opponent a less than one percent chance
of an upset victory.