Will Corey Lewandowski’s Issues Affect Matt Mowers Campaign?

Republican First Congressional District candidate Matt Mowers has not made a definitive statement about the future of Trump advisor Corey Lewandowski after allegations of sexual harassment. But does it really matter?

A Politico report said Lewandowski , a native of Lowell, Massachusetts who made his home in Windham, touched Trashelle Odom, wife of Idaho construction executive John Odom, on the leg, buttocks and "stalked" her during a Las Vegas charity event on Sept. 26  Lewandowski is also accused of speaking to her in "sexually graphic terms."

Former President Donald Trump's Director of Communications Taylor Budowich tweeted Wednesday night that Lewandowski "will be going on to other endeavors" and will no longer be associated with "Trump World."

When Mowers made his official announcement to run in the First Congressional District Republican primary he told Seacoast that Lewandowski will be part of the Mowers campaign but did specify his role.  Mowers and his campaign not respond to multiple calls and messages seeking comment about Lewandowski.

Prior to Budowich's tweet Mowers'campaign told WMUR that Lewandowski's role is unpaid and voluntary and there would be no further comment.

A spokesman for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Thursday told Fox News that Lewandowski  had a similar voluntary role with her re-election campaign and would no longer be advising her.

Insider Baseball?

With the New Hampshire congressional primary months away is this something that will matter to voters?

"I'm sure he's going to be asked about it and he'll have to think about how directly he wants to talk about it," Dean Spiliotes SNHU Civic Scholar the founder of NH Political Capital told Seacoast Current. "We're over a year away from the election. Most people are not paying attention to who is advising Matt Mowers.  It's sort of an insider campaign kind of thing."

Spiliotes said that there is a history of Trump advisors being "fired" from campaigns only to slowly make their way back including Lewandowski himself.  He was accused by singer Joy Villa in 2017 of slapping her across the buttocks during a holiday party at Trump International Hotel in Washington, according to Politico.  In 2016 he was accused by reported Michelle Fields of grabbing her arm after press conference in Florida but the charges were dropped.

Nonetheless Mowers will have to carefully consider his response, according to Spiliotes.

"For now it's pretty easy for them to minimize it and move on but they want to do it in such a way that they can work towards getting the Trump backing," Spiliotes said.

Trump endorsed Mowers in the 2020 primary and during the general election he lost to Chris Pappas.

Spiliotes expects his announced primary opponents — Julian Acciard, 33, state Representative Tim Baxter, 23, Karoline Leavittt, 24 who also touts her role in the Trump administration and possible candidate Gail Huff Brown — to consider using Lewandowski as leverage but overall doesn't expect it to make or break Mowers. None of them have mentioned Lewandowski in their social media posts as of Saturday.

But it's out there.

"If he's the nominee Democrats will paste him with it as well. They'll run ads that have his face dissolving into Lewandowski's face," Spiliotes predicts.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH