CHRIS SMITH ATTACKS AFGHANISTAN VETERAN, IGNORES MULTIPLE REQUESTS FOR DEBATE

(Eatontown, NJ) On Friday, August 3, following the success of Josh Welle’s public town hall,  Representative Chris Smith’s campaign was quoted attacking the veteran with information derived from an ultra-conservative, right-wing blog. This quote by Smith’s campaign manager, Scott Maraldo, comes as a deflection the day after the Welle campaign delivered a letter challenging Chris Smith to three public debates.

“Chris Smith is blatantly disregarding the concerns of his citizens,” Josh Welle said in a statement. “He is not a representative of the people; instead he chooses to disregard their needs and represents corporate interests in Congress. I encourage Smith to do his job and listen to people’s concerns on the economy, rising healthcare costs, and public safety.”

This is not the first time that the Smith campaign has ignored the request of speaking to his constituents. Following Welle’s primary victory in early June of this year, his campaign challenged Smith to participate with him in several public debates. This request was followed up on August 2, when Welle brought a formal letter to the Smith campaign office and delivered the letter while broadcasting the interaction on Facebook Live. The Welle campaign also sent additional copies of the letter to Smith’s D.C. office, his seldom-used address in New Jersey, and his home address in Virginia. To date, the Welle campaign has received no response to these letters.

“Chris Smith and his campaign are trying to use partisan ploys to distract from the fact that he has not held a town hall in 24 years. The people of this district won’t be fooled and deserve better. Incumbents who do not answer to their constituents lose elections” said Welle’s Campaign Manager, Kim Maier.