As Romney Endorses Marilinda Garcia For Congress, Kuster Dodges Debate Invitations

Earlier this week, New Hampshire Republican State Rep. Marilinda Garcia garnered the endorsement of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney:

“I would like to congratulate Marilinda Garcia on her impressive victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary earlier this month, and formally announce that I am supporting her campaign for Congress in New Hampshire’s 2nd Congressional District,” said Governor Romney. “Marilinda is a thoughtful and independent leader, and she is the best choice to defend New Hampshire’s interests in Washington.

Marilinda’s plan for New Hampshire involves rolling back the size and cost of the federal government and giving power back to the Granite State. She is committed to repealing Obamacare, lowering taxes, and creating good-paying jobs that put America back on track. I am honored to endorse her campaign and I am excited to have Marilinda represent New Hampshire in Congress.”

Rep. Garcia said, “I am honored to have former Governor Romney endorse my campaign for Congress and message of ‘opportunity for all.’ He is a proven leader whose support will be extremely helpful in my fight to keep New Hampshire independent and to preserve and promote freedom, liberty, and opportunity for all.”

Fresh off this endorsement, she did an extensive tour of Newport’s business district yesterday. Tomorrow she will tour the Gamma Medica facility in Salem and meet with their staff. Medica is a company that’s on the front lines in battling breast cancer by making molecular breast imaging technology more available.

She also tapped former New Hampshire State Senator Gary Lambert to head her Veterans for Marilinda coalition; Lambert ran against her in the primary.

Yet, while she’s shoring up Republican support and netting endorsements from prominent national Republicans, Garcia’s campaign is also hitting her Democratic opponent, incumbent Congresswoman Ann Kuster, for failing to pay her property taxes, despite being a high-paid lobbyist at the time. The ad is definitely trying to tie the putrid atmosphere of Washington to Kuster.

Garcia’s communications director, Ken Cunningham, said:

As a well-paid lobbyist and now a member of Congress, it is remarkable that Ann Kuster repeatedly failed to pay the property taxes on her vacation home on time. When confronted by local news media, Kuster’s excuse was ‘life is expensive.’ Congresswoman Kuster would know better about the difficulties facing New Hampshire’s middle class if Ann would hold at least one town hall in the district.