House

GOP lawmaker’s siblings endorse Dem opponent: ‘Difficult to see my brother as anything but a racist’

Multiple siblings of Rep. Paul Gosar are coming out in support of his Democratic opponent, accusing the Arizona Republican of racism.

The Phoenix New Times reported that Democratic House candidate David Brill unveiled a series of ads at a fundraiser on Thursday that feature Gosar’s siblings denouncing the conservative four-term congressman.

{mosads}Six of Gosar’s sblings — Tim Gosar, Jennifer Gosar, Gaston Gosar, Joan Gosar, Grace Gosar and David Gosar — decry his views on policies such as health care and immigration, adding that their brother’s positions have torn the family apart. 

“It would be difficult to see my brother as anything but a racist,” Grace Gosar says in one advertisement. 

The New Times noted that Paul Gosar is the oldest of 10 siblings in a family that grew up in Wyoming. His brother Pete Gosar reportedly ran for governor in that state as a Democrat in 2014. 

But Paul Gosar is one of President Trump’s most ardent supporters. Among other things, he’s advocated against the “Dreamers” immigration program and has voiced support for the construction of Trump’s long-sought wall along the southern border.

It was also recently reported that Paul Gosar joined a Belgian politician known for anti-Muslim views for a lengthy dinner in July.

“None of us are doing this for publicity. None of us even want to do it,” David Gosar told the Phoenix New Times, adding they couldn’t stay silent any longer regarding the congressman’s views. “He just doesn’t appear to be well.”

In another clip, Gaston Gosar blasts his brother’s views on environmental policy, saying that he’s willing to roll back regulations “if it benefits his interests or puts a dollar in his pocket from one of his constituents or large mining groups.”

The news outlet noted that the idea for ads starring Paul Gosar’s siblings came after a Brill campaign staffer saw critical Twitter posts from David Gosar about his brother. 

The campaign contacted him, and multiple Gosar siblings reportedly made campaign contributions to the campaign shortly after. Videographers then made the trip to Wyoming, where many of them live, to shoot the ads. 

Paul Gosar’s campaign did not respond to request for comment from the Phoenix New Times. His office was not immediately reachable when the The Hill attempted to reach out for comment. 

Phoenix New Times notes that Paul Gosar has represented the deep-red district since 2013 and did not face a primary challenger this year. He won his reelection bid in 2016 with an overwhelming 71 percent of the vote.