Attack ad targets Pappas wealth

A Senate Leadership Fund ad airing in the New Hampshire Senate race claims Democratic Rep.Chris Pappas grew rich in office, using cherry-picked figures to falsely suggest his net worth skyrocketed while serving in the House.

The ad's central claim

The ad claims Pappas' net worth surged by upwards of one thousand percent, from negative six hundred sixty-nine thousand nine hundred seventy-four dollars in two thousand eighteen to over six million dollars in two thousand…

“by upwards of 1,000%”

How the math was manipulated

The ad cherry-picked the lowest asset estimate and highest liability estimate for two thousand eighteen, then reversed the process for two thousand twenty-five. This misleading math is the only way to reach those figures.

What the disclosures actually show

Pappas' two thousand eighteen disclosure listed assets of around one point three million to six million dollars, with liabilities of about nine hundred thousand to two million.

Spouse's assets explain the increase

Most of the increase in Pappas' two thousand twenty-five net worth comes from listing his spouse's assets for the first time, including stock in Uber and Amazon and a four hundred one k.

The restaurant is his main asset

Most of Pappas' wealth in both years comes from his part ownership of The Puritan Backroom, a well-known New Hampshire restaurant his family has run for decades, valued at one million to five million dollars…

Who is running against Pappas

Pappas, who has served in the House since two thousand nineteen, is running against Republican John E. Sununu, a former U.S. senator from one of New Hampshire's most prominent political families.

Who funded the attack ad

The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, has spent more than seven hundred thousand dollars on the ad since it began airing on broadcast and streaming platforms…

Pappas and his husband's timeline

Pappas began dating Vann Bentley in spring two thousand nineteen and they married in two thousand twenty-three.Bentley was a registered lobbyist for Amazon before leaving the company later in two thousand nineteen.

The Uber liability shield vote

The ad claims Pappas voted to make it harder to sue Uber, his husband's employer.But Pappas voted against an amendment shielding ride-hailing apps from liability for driver misconduct.

What the amendment would do

Republican Rep.Vince Fong proposed an amendment in May that would shield ride-hailing apps from liability for harm caused by drivers unless the company was grossly negligent or committed a crime.

Pappas' position on the bill

Pappas voted no on the liability shield amendment. He then voted to advance the BUILD America two hundred fifty Act out of committee in a bipartisan vote of sixty-two to two, a bill containing hundreds…

Pappas continues opposing the shield

Pappas has called for the liability shield amendment to be removed from the final bill.

“Survivors deserve the right to hold companies accountable when corporate failures contribute to preventable harm”

Seven Amazon-related votes cited

The ad cites seven bills from two thousand nineteen that Pappas voted for and that Amazon also lobbied on.Four were must-pass spending or authorization bills.

The three aligned votes explained

One bill would have raised the federal minimum wage to fifteen dollars an hour, which Pappas supported during his two thousand eighteen campaign.

No evidence of improper influence

FactCheck.org asked the Senate Leadership Fund if it had evidence that Pappas' votes were influenced by his partner's position.The group did not respond.