MOHAVE COUNTY, Ariz. — Three of Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar’s siblings are endorsing one of his Republican primary opponents, Adam Morgan, declaring in a statement that their brother is “completely unfit for office.”
The three siblings say in a statement released Thursday that this is the first time they have endorsed a Republican. They are among several of Gosar’s nine siblings who have scorched their brother in videos, op-eds, and interviews in recent years.
“Although our policy positions differ significantly from Adam’s, we endorse Adam Morgan over our brother, since Paul is clearly unhinged, completely unfit for office & doesn't represent reality-based Arizonans,” the three siblings - Jennifer, David, and Tim Gosar - said in the statement provided to 12 News.
Watch a 2018 ad of Gosar's siblings denouncing the congressman here:
In an interview Wednesday, Jennifer Gosar, a public health worker in Washington state, said she and her siblings promoted a consistent message when they took public positions.
"It's really been about... decency and integrity," she said. "And at this point, I feel it's important to note, sanity. My brother does not seem to be living in a sane world
"Adam is out there in the district, he lives in the district, is doing the work to get the voters on board. He supports that Joe Biden won the election, but it was not a stolen election. Adam Morgan doesn't have ties to white nationalist groups."
Jennifer Gosar was alluding to Congressman Gosar's connections to white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
Morgan, a Kingman software consultant and U.S. Army veteran, is one of three Republicans challenging Gosar in the new Ninth Congressional District, the so-called “River District” on the western Arizona border, reaching into the northwest Phoenix suburbs in Maricopa County.
The other candidates are former Maricopa County School Superintendent Sandra Dowling, and Randy Kutz, a former aide to GOP Congressman Trent Franks.
Gosar, a six-term, far-right congressman, is facing his toughest primary challenge in years. Redistricting has inserted a large slice of Maricopa County voters who’ve never had Gosar on their ballot.
The winner of the Aug. 2 primary is a virtual lock to win the general election for the safe Republican seat.
Gosar's campaign consultant, Rory McShane, provided this response:
"I saw the endorsement and thought it was fitting, Jennifer, David, and Tim are liberal establishment Trump haters -- just like Adam Morgan. Congratulations to Mr. Morgan on this apt endorsement. Hopefully, Jennifer, David, and Tim can volunteer for Mr. Morgan this weekend and help him move the rest of his belongings from his house in Northern Virginia, where he voted 9 months ago."
The Gosar family's bitter divide became public in 2018, when six of the siblings appeared in a sensational campaign video for his Democratic opponent in the general election. Gosar still won handily in the solid Republican district.
Gosar's mother said she supported her son.
The siblings, in varying numbers, have kept up their attacks since then, including calls for his expulsion from Congress and for criminal charges tied to Gosar’s alleged role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Last year, Gosar was censured by the House of Representatives and stripped of his committee assignments after posting a violent video on social media showing him appearing to kill Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Joe Biden.
Gosar, a retired Flagstaff dentist, has associated in recent years with promoters of white Christian nationalism and was labeled “the spirit animal” of the “Stop the Steal” movement, which culminated in the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021.
Gosar has declined to discuss an ailment, obvious in public appearances over the last several years, that presents as a Parkinson’s-like disease inhibiting his speech and movement.
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