AG identifies D.C. firm behind $0 anonymous Senate mailers

New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella identified Pinpoint Campaigns, a Washington, D.C. based direct mail firm, as the entity that commissioned anonymous political mailers for the U.S. Senate race. The office announced the findings in a news release on Friday. These mailers featured candidates John Sununu and Edmond Laplante but did not include the standard paid for disclaimers required by state and federal law.

The Department of Justice Election Law Unit received complaints from residents who received these pieces in the days prior to the release. Formella stated that the mailers were produced by the Journeyman Press, a printing company in Massachusetts. The firm distributed the materials through the United States Postal Service. The Attorney General’s office issued a cease-and-desist letter to both Pinpoint Campaigns and the Journeyman Press. The order required them to stop distributing any further political advertising that lacked the necessary disclosures.

The office also ordered the Journeyman Press to take steps to recall mailers already sent to the postal service or to prevent further distribution. The print company confirmed that no additional mailers are scheduled for New Hampshire voters. The Attorney General’s office contacted the campaigns of Sununu, Laplante, and Representative Christopher Pappas. It also reached out to the state Democratic and Republican parties. All groups stated they had no prior knowledge of or coordination with the firms involved in producing the anonymous mailers.

Formella noted that the investigation into these mailers remains active. The release explained that the timing of the disclosure was due to the proximity of the November 3 general election. The goal was to inform voters about the source of the advertising before they assessed the credibility of the claims. State law, specifically RSA 664:14, requires political ads to disclose the sponsoring candidate or committee and indicate if the ad was authorized by that group.

Separately, the Attorney General’s office addressed a right-to-know request regarding information gathered on the primary election day. The request was submitted on September 9, the day after the primary. The office stated that a team of four attorneys, two investigators, and one paralegal staffed the election hotline that day. They received 83 calls, inquiries, and other contacts related to the election. Attorney Michael Imbrogno wrote that the office needs time to compile and review the documents for potential redactions. The materials will be ready by November 16, 2026, because staff are busy with the upcoming midterm elections.

This disclosure process occurred while the office declined to comment on a separate political mailer from the Suncook Valley GOP. That newsletter included ads for nine Republican candidates, including state Senator Howard Pearl. One ad showed Pearl with Governor Kelly Ayotte and featured a quote from her endorsing him. The mailer did not have individual financial disclaimers for each ad. Suncook Valley GOP Treasurer Clayton Wood argued that a small line on the front page and a longer one on page eight served as disclaimers for all ads in the paper. Ayotte’s spokesman, John Corbett, said the advertisement was not from the governor’s campaign and that all their ads follow New Hampshire disclaimer law.