Paul Gosar is the incumbent Republican congressman in Arizona’s 4th district. Gosar is facing a tough challenge from his Democratic opponent, David Brill — and that challenge just got a lot tougher as Brill scored the endorsement of six of Paul Gosar’s siblings.
In a startling new campaign ad, Gosar’s brothers and sisters — Grace, David, Jennifer, Tim, Joan and Gaston — all speak out against their brother’s political policies. You can watch the ad here.
Here’s what you need to know about Paul Gosar’s family:
1. Gosar Has a Total of Nine Brothers & Sisters
Paul Gosar comes from a big family. In all, the Arizona congressman has nine brothers and sisters. Three of Gosar’s siblings have stayed out of the fray when it comes to his political campaign: they haven’t made any statement about whether or not they support their political brother.
But six of Gosar’s siblings — Grace, David, Jennifer, Tim, Joan and Gaston — endorsed his rival, Democrat Daivd Brill. The siblings said they were upset by Gosar’s views on a range of issues but especially on healthcare and medicare.
For his part, Gosar issued a series of angry tweets saying that “you can’t pick your family” and warning his siblings that he would “see you at Mom and Dad’s house.”
Gosar’s official biography notes that out of 10 kids in his family there are 7 democrats, 2 republicans and 1 independent.
2. Gosar Said ‘Stalin Would Be Proud’of the Attack Ad
Paul Gosar was clearly shaken up by seeing six of his brothers and sisters endorse his opponent. The congressman took to Twitter to vent about his siblings, writing, “My siblings who chose to film ads against me are all liberal Democrats who hate President Trump. These disgruntled Hillary suppporters are related by blood to me but like leftists everywhere, they put political ideology before family. Stalin would be proud.”
Gosar also noted that none of the siblings who endorsed Brill actually live in Arizona. Then he wrote, “You can’t pick your family. We all have crazy aunts and relatives etc and my family is no different. I hope they find peace in their hearts and let go all the hate.”
3. Gosar’s Mom Says She Supports Him
Gosar is now calling himself “Mom’s favorite” because, after six of his brothers and sisters insulted his policies and endorsed his opponent, his mother came forward to say that she will definitely vote for him.
Gosar’s 85 year old mother, Bernadette, told the New York Times that she was “crushed” by the ad for Brill.
She added, “I share the same philosophy and policies that Paul does. He’s done a hell of a job for Arizona, and they love him.”
Bernadette said that she has a “wonderful” family but that the members of the family don’t always see eye to eye politically. She said the six Gosar children in the video have different political stances than she and Paul Gosar do — something which is evident to anyone who watches the video, of course.
4.Paul Gosar’s Brother David Calls Him ‘Weasel’ and Trolls Him on Twitter
Dave Gosar, one of the six siblings who appear in the ad attacking Paul Gosar, also has a twitter account that he uses to troll his brother. Dave’s account is public and he uses it constantly. He calls Paul Gosar “weasel” or “wease” and jabs at his policies and his actions.
To be frank, Dave’s tweets are not good-natured ribbings; these are all-out attacks. Dave outright calls his brohter a racist, a Nazi sympathizer, a phony, and a hypocrite. Here are some samples of the way Dave tweets at his brother:
The New York Times reports that David Brill (Gosar’s Democratic opponent) first got the idea for his campaign ad when he saw Dave Gosar’s twitter feed. Brill contacted Gosar and asked whether he’d be interested in doing an ad against his brother. From there, the idea grew until six Gosar siblings were on board with the ad.
5. Gosar Has a Wife and Three Kids
Paul Gosar’s wife, Maude, runs an antique store. Paul and Maude have three children. One of those children, Ella, is married to an “aspiring dentist,” according to Gosar’s official biography. Gosar himself was a dentist before he became a congressman.
None of Gosar’s children have, so far, appeared in any ads endorsing his opponent. Neither has his wife.