6 Siblings of Ariz. Rep Appear in Political Ads— for His Opponent

Paul Gosar's brothers and sisters don't hold back
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 22, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Recruiting one of your opponent's family members to appear in your political ad would be considered a minor coup; pulling in six of them would be quite "stunning." That's how ABC News describes the latest spots from David Brill, a Democrat running against GOP incumbent Paul Gosar to represent Arizona's 4th Congressional District. One minute-long ad, entitled "Paul Gosar Is Not Working for You," starts off routinely, with testimonials slamming Gosar on everything from health care to the environment. "Paul's absolutely not working for his district," says a lawyer whose name is shown as "David." "He's not listening to you, and he doesn't have your interests at heart," pipes in a private investigator named "Tim." There are also remarks from a "Grace" and a "Jennifer," as well as appearances by a "Joan" and a "Gaston." Only at the end do David, Tim, Grace, Jennifer, Joan, and Gaston reveal who they are: six of Paul Gosar's siblings, all of whom "wholeheartedly" endorse Brill.

The Phoenix New Times reports Paul Gosar is the oldest of 10; three siblings don't appear in the series of ads, released by Brill Thursday. Gosar is estranged from most of them due to his hard-line positions on such issues as immigration ("it would be difficult to see my brother as anything but a racist," Grace Gosar says in another ad), as well as his conspiracy theories, including that the Charlottesville white supremacist rally was organized by "the left" and George Soros (their letter on that here). The Gosar siblings say speaking out about him isn't what they want to do, but "it's intervention time," as Tim Gosar says in a third ad. "He just doesn't appear to be well," David Gosar tells the New Times, adding to the Washington Post: "There isn't a kooky, crazy, nutty thing that he isn't a part of. What are we supposed to do?" More on the family's "massive falling-out" and how Brill recruited them here. (More political advertising stories.)

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