Ex-Trump aide running for Congress voted in 2 primaries in 2016


Matt Mowers, a former Trump administration official turned Republican congressional candidate in New Hampshire, voted twice during the 2016 primary elections, "potentially violating federal voting law and leaving him at odds with the Republican Party's intense focus on 'election integrity,'" The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Specificially, Mowers, who is running to unseat Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas, apparently cast a ballot in New Jersey's 2016 Republican presidential primary four months after casting an absentee ballot in New Hampshire's, AP reports.
The former Trump official was working as the director of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) presidential campaign when he initially voted in New Hampshire. But later, once Christie's bid lost steam, Mowers used his parents' address to re-register in his home state of New Jersey and cast another ballot, per AP.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Some legal experts believe Mowers' double vote could violate a federal law that prevents double-dipping in general, special, or primary elections, including casting a ballot in separate jurisdictions.
"What he has done is cast a vote in two different states for the election of a president, which on the face of it looks like he's violated federal law," law professor David Schultz told AP. "You get one bite at the voting apple."
But others don't believe the possibility of voter fraud is that clear-cut. "For starters, it's an undeveloped area of law," AP writes. Mowers is also unlikely to face prosecution, considering the statute of limitations has passed and "there is no record of anyone being prosecuted under this specific section of federal election law," per AP.
Former Trump Chief of Staff Mark Meadows also recently drew scrutiny for his voting record following allegations that he was registered in two states and listed a mobile home he did not own as his legal residence just before voting in the 2020 election.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushback
Cartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
By The Week US
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
Merz's coalition deal: a 'betrayal' of Germany?
Talking Point With liberalism, freedom and democracy under threat globally, it's a time for 'giants' – but this is a 'coalition of the timid'
By The Week UK
-
El Salvador's CECOT prison becomes Washington's go-to destination
IN THE SPOTLIGHT Republicans and Democrats alike are clamoring for access to the Trump administration's extrajudicial deportation camp — for very different reasons
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Supreme Court takes up Trump birthright appeal
Speed Read The New Jersey Attorney General said a constitutional right like birthright citizenship 'cannot be turned on or off at the whims of a single man'
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Court slams Trump, senator visits Ábrego García
Speed Read The case 'should be shocking not only to judges' but all Americans with an 'intuitive sense of liberty'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The anger fueling the Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barnstorming tour
Talking Points The duo is drawing big anti-Trump crowds in red states
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Why the GOP is nervous about Ken Paxton's Senate run
Today's Big Question A MAGA-establishment battle with John Cornyn will be costly
By Joel Mathis, The Week US
-
UK-US trade deal: can Keir Starmer trust Donald Trump?
Today's Big Question White House insiders say an agreement is 'two weeks' away but can Britain believe it?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
A running list of Trump's second-term national security controversies
In Depth Several scandals surrounding national security have rocked the Trump administration
By Justin Klawans, The Week US