A New Hampshire Democrat failed to disclose his relationship with an ex-lobbyist, the New Hampshire Union-Leader reported.
Rep. Chris Pappas did not publicly disclose his relationship with former Amazon lobbyist Vann Bentley, who left his job in August 2019. At that time, Pappas was a sitting member of Congress.
Pappas's Republican opponent, Matt Mowers, first broached the issue in a debate last week.
"Congressman, you want to talk about relationships with corporate special interests?" Mowers asked Pappas. "With all due respect, you've been dating a corporate lobbyist who actually was lobbying on behalf of Amazon at the time. You were dating a corporate lobbyist. And the fact of the matter is you never disclosed it."
Pappas confirmed the relationship after the debate but said it did not affect his actions while in Congress.
"By his own admission, congressman Pappas has confirmed what we knew all along: he isn't being truthful with the people of New Hampshire," said Mowers campaign manager John Corbett.
The potential conflict of interest is just the latest headache for Pappas. Earlier this month, he sent out a fundraising email with recently deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name in the sender line. In September, two New Hampshire police unions flipped their 2018 endorsement of Pappas to Mowers because of dissatisfaction with the congressman's law and order record.
Mowers, a former Trump campaign communications official and State Department diplomat, recently broke even in polls. RealClearPolitics announced Monday it now rates the race a "Toss Up."