6 of candidate’s siblings back his opponent in video ads

It might seem like family dysfunction or a bad case of sibling rivalry.

Six of nine brothers and sisters of Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., publicly endorsed his Democratic opponent in the midterm elections in videos Friday, in what one said was nothing short of a moral imperative.

The siblings were alarmed at what they saw as the congressman’s increasingly extremist views on immigration, health care and white supremacists, David Gosar, said Saturday.

“I’m just hoping either in this election cycle or next, the people get the idea that he’s just not fit for that office and he needs to be removed,” David Gosar said.

The Democratic candidate, Dr. David Brill, released the videos Friday.

Brill said there were more videos to come, though he wouldn’t specify how many.

David Gosar, a lawyer in Wyoming, identifies as a progressive, though he said he is not a registered Democrat.

Three of the siblings have donated to Brill’s campaign, the Democratic candidate said.

Paul Gosar did not respond to requests Saturday for comment. In a 2016 Thanksgiving message posted on Facebook, he acknowledged that he and his siblings have “mixed political views.”

Paul Gosar first won election in 2010, his first foray into politics, with the support of the Tea Party.

David Gosar caught the eye of Brill’s campaign through his criticism of Paul Gosar on Twitter. David Gosar said he keeps the Twitter account solely to publicly admonish his brother.

David Gosar said a staff member on Brill’s campaign called him and delved deeper into the familial rift, and then asked the siblings to be in the campaign videos. The Brill campaign said the siblings were not paid.

Paul Gosar is known as an immigration hard-liner. This year, he called for authorities to check the immigration status of those attending the State of the Union address, and arresting and deporting “any illegal aliens attempting to go through security.”