By NANCY WEST, InDepthNH.org
Attorney General John Formella issued a news release Friday about anonymous political advertising mailers in the U.S. Senate race, but refused to comment on a political advertising mailer from the Suncook Valley GOP that contains candidate advertising with no individual “paid for” disclaimers.
The Suncook Valley GOP sent out the Suncook Valley Taxpayers mailer that included several articles by Free Staters Rep. Dan McGuire and his wife Rep. Carol McGuire, both Republicans from Epsom, along with ads for nine Republican candidates. One for state Sen. Howard Pearl showed him with Gov. Kelly Ayotte and a quote from her endorsing Pearl, who did not respond to a request for comment.
None of the ads individually contain the required financial disclaimer, but Suncook Valley GOP Treasurer and candidate Rep. Clayton Wood, who also appears in an ad with Rep. Cyril Aures, said a barely noticeable line on the front page saying the mailer was paid for by the Suncook Valley GOP and a longer one at the bottom of page 8 covered as disclaimers for all the ads in the paper.
Ayotte’s spokesman John Corbett wouldn’t address the advertisement showing Ayotte with state Sen. Howard Pearl beyond stating and restating, “That is not our advertisement…I would suggest you contact the media outlet and ask them. All of our campaign’s advertisements follow New Hampshire’s disclaimer law.”
Obtaining what was formerly routine information from the Attorney General’s Office and the governor’s office at election time has proven more difficult under both Ayotte and former Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
On Friday, InDepthNH.org received a response to a right-to-know request sent Sept. 9 to Formella the day after the primary.
It said it received InDepthNH.org’s request for information gathered on the Attorney General’s hotline staffed throughout (primary) Election Day by four attorneys, two investigators and a paralegal and would be ready Nov. 16 because they are busy with the midterm elections Nov. 3. During the primary the team received 83 calls, inquiries and other contacts related to the election.
“As such, we estimate that it will take us until November 16, 2026, to compile and review the documents for potential redactions before they can be produced,” Attorney Michael Imbrogno wrote Friday.
In Friday’s press release unrelated to the Suncook Valley Taxpayer newsletter, Formella said “due to the imminence of the State General Election, on November 3, 2026, and the need to provide the public with information regarding anonymous political mailers that have been distributed in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Department of Justice Election Law Unit” is providing certain information.
The Election Law Unit received several complaints in the past several days from New Hampshire residents who received anonymous political advertising mailers regarding the United States Senate race. “To date, we have received complaints about three anonymous mailers distributed in New Hampshire concerning United States Senate candidates John Sununu and Edmond Laplante. These mailers do not contain information identifying the person or entity responsible for the advertising—known as ‘paid for’ disclaimers—that are required by New Hampshire and federal law.”
The Attorney General’s Office has confirmed that the mailers were produced by Massachusetts printing company the Journeyman Press and distributed through U.S. Mail by the Journeyman Press. The Office has also learned that the mailers were commissioned by Pinpoint Campaigns, a Washington, D.C. based “boutique direct mail firm,” Formella said.
The Office has issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Journeyman Press and Pinpoint Campaigns ordering them to cease distributing any further political advertising mailers that do not contain the disclosures required by New Hampshire and federal law. The Office has further ordered the Journeyman Press to take all necessary steps to recall or prevent the distribution of further political advertising mailers that have been provided to the United States Postal Service. The Journeyman Press has confirmed that no further mailers are scheduled to be sent to voters in New Hampshire.
“The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office has contacted the campaigns of Mr. Sununu, Mr. Laplante, and Representative Christopher Pappas. The Office has also contacted the New Hampshire Democratic Party and New Hampshire Republican Party. All have stated that they had no prior knowledge of or coordination with the Journeyman Press or Pinpoint Campaigns in conjunction with the production of the anonymous mailers,” the release said.
RSA 664:14 requires that all political advertising disclose which candidate or committee sponsored the advertisement and further to disclose if such advertisement has been authorized by a candidate or committee.
“The purpose of these requirements is to ensure that voters are able to know the source of the political advertising when they are assessing the credibility of the advertising and the weight to give to the claims in the advertising.
“The Election Law Unit has opened an investigation into these mailers and that investigation remains active and ongoing. Because of the proximity to the November 3, 2026 State General Election, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office issues this release to better inform voters.”
Some of the anonymous mailers are listed below:
