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In Scrappy Campaign, GOP’s Karoline Leavitt Vying to Become Youngest Woman Ever Elected to Congress

Posted on Friday, October 28, 2022
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by Shane Harris
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AMAC Exclusive – By Shane Harris

Leavitt
Karoline Leavitt

One of the most hotly contested House races anywhere in the country this year is in New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, where first-time candidate Karoline Leavitt is running to unseat incumbent two-term Democrat Chris Pappas. In a district which the Cook Political Report rates as having a partisan lean of just R+2, the race could prove to be a bellwether for control of Congress come January. For Leavitt – who would take Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s crown as the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress – the election will be a test of both the continued vitality of President Trump’s “America First” agenda and voters’ readiness for a new generation of conservative leaders to take charge.

With just over a week to go until Election Day, Leavitt has already solidified herself as a rising star within the party. Last month, she shocked much of the Republican establishment by winning a crowded 10-person primary despite her opponents massively outspending her. Most pundits expected Matt Mowers, the 2020 Republican nominee for the seat who went on to lose to Pappas in the general election, to win the nomination again. SuperPACs linked to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise spent millions to boost Mowers in the primary, and the Mowers campaign enjoyed the support of high-profile Republican figures like former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley.

But it was Leavitt who emerged victorious from the September 13 primary, winning big with 34.4 percent of the vote, compared to 25.2 percent for Mowers and 17.2 percent for Gail Huff-Brown, the wife of former Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown.

Leavitt’s success in the primary was due in large part to a robust and energized grassroots operation, something which has continued to serve her well in the lead-up to the general election. From the time she announced last year, Leavitt has hardly stopped crisscrossing the district, working tirelessly to raise her name ID and win support from dozens of local politicians and business organizations. Just this week, she picked up the endorsement of the two leading police associations in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city – a positive sign for her campaign as crime remains a top issue for voters.

Leavitt’s hard work and unique message throughout the primary didn’t go unnoticed in Washington, and she ultimately earned the support of several big names in Congress, including Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Utah Senator Mike Lee, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, and Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, for whom Leavitt worked before running for Congress. After winning the primary, she picked up big endorsements from New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and former President Donald Trump.

As a candidate, Leavitt has embraced Trump’s brand of “America First” conservatism – perhaps unsurprising given that her career in politics began as a Presidential Writer and then Assistant Press Secretary in the Trump White House. But she has developed her own personal brand as well, one built around her youth, energy, and unapologetic defense of conservative values.

That brand was on full display at a debate earlier this week hosted by the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, where Leavitt slammed Pappas for his support of Democrats’ big spending policies. “We literally cannot afford two more years of Chris Pappas being in office,” she told the crowd gathered at Saint Anslem College, referring to the record-high gas prices and skyrocketing inflation seen under Democrat rule. Leavitt labeled Pappas a “partisan problem creator,” flipping the script on Democrats’ efforts to cast her as the “extremist” in the race.

In a district and state traditionally viewed as more moderate (both U.S. Senators and House members are Democrats, while the governorship and state legislature are controlled by Republicans) many pundits believed that Leavitt’s more conservative campaign would doom her in a general election contest against Pappas. But with just a few days to go until votes are counted, Leavitt instead appears to have all the momentum. Earlier this week, RealClearPolitics moved the race into the “leans GOP” column. As recently as three weeks ago, Pappas held an eight-point polling lead, but that advantage has now vanished, and the race is a statistical tie.

Almost certainly, some of this surge is due to broader national trends that are dragging Democrats down across the board. But there’s no denying that Leavitt’s willingness to buck the establishment, adhere to her own convictions, and simply outwork everyone else is paying dividends with voters. One GOP operative with experience in the state called her campaign “one of the most disciplined, well-run campaigns in recent New Hampshire political history.”

On November 8, we’ll find out if it all pays off with a victory. If so, we may well be witnessing the emergence of a future leader in the party and standard-bearer of the conservative movement.

Shane Harris is a writer and political consultant from Southwest Ohio. You can follow him on Twitter @Shane_Harris_.

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David Millikan
David Millikan
2 years ago

Good for her.
Now, where are the young men running for office?

Elizabeth
Elizabeth
2 years ago

Hopefully Leavitt is a convert of the Leadership Institute and or Heritage Foundation that are teaching our future leaders why America became a leader in the free world. Why our constitution is not just paper with words. Why work rather than handouts build a strong nation and bond between citizens. Why morality and common sense are so necessary in order to preserve future. It sounds like she is “doing the work” rather then throwing money at liberal TV stations for ads. I really did not know that your election depended on how much money you raised. I literally fill a large paper bag with mail that says, send me money every week. Man I wish I had the money spent on paper, stamps, envelopes and time, I’d probably have enough money to be president (if that was all it takes).

anna hubert
anna hubert
2 years ago

May she succeed and may she be the inspiration to other young men and women who are not hopeless

Rick
Rick
2 years ago

I am rooting for her

Sandy
Sandy
2 years ago

Shd is a firebrand

Dee
Dee
2 years ago

The difference between her and Ocasio – she is smart & intelligent, and the other is not.

James H
James H
2 years ago

I absolutely love young people who boldly proclaim good, solid values and don’t back away from the fear mongers on the left. Young folks like Karoline are today’s heroes! I wish her all the best!!

RC100
RC100
2 years ago

GO KAROLINE….!

Sid
Sid
2 years ago

I donated to her campaign. The Nazi RINOs won’t help her, then I will.

Granny
Granny
2 years ago

This young woman sounds like someone who would stand up to the squad….add Boebert….MTGreene…..and many other expected-to-win young conservative representatives of all races, the ‘establishment’ will be furious first….then begin to retire – wealthy and useless.

Rich
Rich
2 years ago

Best of luck to this young patriot. She will be a great addition to the house.

Kevin
Kevin
2 years ago

You tell us that she will be the youngest member but you tell us her age?

Odkin
Odkin
2 years ago

The headline trumpets her young age, and the article never tells us what it is!!!

Roland
Roland
2 years ago

This appears to be a national trend with conservatives challenging Liberal incumbents in close races by hammering them on what have become hot button issues like crime, the border, and the economy.

We can only hope that election fraud will be kept to a minimum, but with Democrats, it’s always a concern.

Craig
Craig
2 years ago

Would be nice to know her age since that’s what the article is about

ADM64
ADM64
2 years ago

The article never mentioned her age. In any event, although I hope she wins, I have to wonder what someone who looks to be under 30 really has done that warrants any participation in government. AOC should have proven that. More generally, the practice of having politicians hold office, in all too many cases effectively for life, without having ever done anything in the real world is a major source of our problems.

Randall L. Beatty
Randall L. Beatty
2 years ago

She is very young but if she can handle herself and knows what has to be done then I think she can do the job just as well as anyone I just hope she is better then that AOC and the others that were elected they should be fired they have done nothing but tear this country apart and when they are gone so will that green new deal should be gone with them.

Steve Goetz
Steve Goetz
2 years ago

This is a race that wasn’t on my radar but is now. Thanks AMAC.

johnh
johnh
2 years ago

She sounds good to me…..but I am concerned about the people like Cruz,Jordan,Lee,Trump that endorse her….as that is a red flag to me that she might end up Partisan in the job & not willing to compromise to pass the best bills for America.

libs R loony
libs R loony
2 years ago

This is a year of NUMBERS. With the loony liberal left’s most notable “?accomplishment?” the past 21 months is the passage of various nymphomaniacal gubmint deficit spendaholic spending bills. A so-called “Infrastructure” bill that cost nearly $2TRILLION and was proven to only be 10% for “infrastructure” and 90% for Joe Biden’s socialist foolishness causing the worst HYPERINFLATION in 40++ years. Then, the absurdity to pass a so-called “Inflation Reduction Act” of $700++BILLION of gubmint deficit spendaholic spending which adds EVEN MORE HYPERINFLATION, it should be called the “Increased Gubmint Deficit Spending to Increase the HYPERINFLATION Act”.
The only wat to stop the ridiculous gubmint deficit spendaholic spending is to get as many Democrats OUT of Congress, no matter what the name/face on the ballot so the NUMBERS in Congress will be Republican majorities. Vote for Republicans, period.

fredwriter1961
fredwriter1961
2 years ago

Her opponent is a militant gay man who supports transgender surgery, drag queens in schools, defunding the police and the rest of the retrograde leftist agenda. Hope she wins.

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