By John Celock
A Republican congressional candidate in New Hampshire has unveiled a new commercial attacking her Democratic opponent for $40,000 in unpaid taxes that surfaced last year.
State Rep. Marilinda Garcia (R-Salem) attacked U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster (D-N.H.) for the tax bill that came to light shortly after Kuster took office last year. The commercial is part of one of the most competitive congressional races in the nation, where the GOP hope to unseat the one-term Kuster.
“Ann Kuster likes spending your taxes in Washington but not paying hers,” the ad said.
When the tax bill surfaced last year, Kuster admitted that she and her husband were delinquent in six property tax payments on three homes they own in the state. She apologized at the time and offered an explanation.
“The reality is we have two kids. Life is expensive and it caught up to us,” she told WMUR last year.
Kuster and her husband paid the bill. Garcia’s ad claims that Kuster was earning $200,000 a year as a lobbyist when the taxes went unpaid.
Kuster has been on the attack against Garcia, a four term 31-year-old state lawmaker. Kuster has been attacking Garcia as too conservative for the state, citing Garcia favoring closing the U.S. Department of Education, along with voting against the Violence Against Women Act and abortion.
Conservatives nationally have been touting Garcia as a rising star in the GOP. Garcia was first elected to the state House in 2006 at the age of 23, but lost her seat in 2008. She returned to the House in a 2009 special election. Her sister, Bianca, was elected to the state House in 2012.
Kuster won the swing district in 2012 following a career lobbying state government. Kuster’s father is a former Concord mayor and state executive councilor and her mother was a state senator.