Trump WH Staffer Karoline Leavitt Wins House GOP Primary in N.H. Rep.-nominee Karoline Leavitt, R-N.H. (Mary Schwalm/AP)
By Eric Mack | Tuesday, 13 September 2022 11:18 PM EDT
A former White House press officer staff from Trump administration, Karoline Leavitt, has won a contested Republican primary in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Leavitt outdistanced a crowded GOP primary field in New Hampshire's 1st Congressional District and will face incumbent Rep. Chris Pappas, D-N.H., whose seat is considered vulnerable in November's general election. Pappas won unopposed.
The district encompasses Manchester and the southeastern part of the state. Former President Donald Trump did not make an official endorsement in the race.
The GOP field included former TV broadcaster Gail Huff Brown, wife of Scott Brown, a former U.S. senator from Massachusetts and ambassador to New Zealand during the Trump administration. Also running was Matt Mowers, who won the district's congressional 2020 Republican nomination and was a Trump administration State Department adviser.
But the candidate closest to Trump might be Leavitt, who worked in his White House's press office and has also campaigned with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
"Her compass always points to Trump," said Dante Scala, a University of New Hampshire political science professor. He added, in reference to the former president's "Make America Great Again" campaign slogan, "She, in a very kind of crisp, sharp, confident way, will say the most MAGA thing that can be said in any situation."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.