Over the weekend, Richard Tisei (the former State Senator, and unsuccessful candidate for Lieutenant Governor and for John Tierney’s seat in the House of Representatives) announced that he would not run for Senate on the Republican side. This morning, the same word comes from former Governor Bill Weld. Scott Brown and Charlie Baker have already said they weren’t running either.
So the GOP is now deep into the junior varsity in terms of a statewide race. State Rep. Dan Winslow (R-Norfolk) – a fine fellow and regular BMGer, but who is almost 100% unknown outside his state rep district and I’d wager 50% unknown even inside it – will reportedly announce tomorrow whether he will run. A former Navy SEAL named Gabriel Gomez is reportedly considering getting in, but Gomez already has significant baggage due to his involvement with a rather questionable group called OPSEC that produced a 20-minute video questioning President Obama’s role in the Osama bin Laden operation. He went on Hardball during the campaign and, well, let’s just say it didn’t go very well. Perhaps most hilariously, a doctor and occasional Fox News commentator named Keith Ablow has magnanimously agreed to run – but only if the party agrees to unite around him without a primary. Gosh, why wouldn’t the Mass. GOP take him up on such a generous offer?
Perhaps best of all, Tagg Romney is supposedly thinking about it. But surely, the gods could not be so good to us. UPDATE: And just like that, Tagg is out. 😀
stomv says
David says
So nobody is saying that this is a lock for the Dems. The point is, any GOP candidate will have to pull off the same epic feat that Brown did in 2009-10 to win.
danfromwaltham says
Ralph Martin. You guys remember him? Former DA appointed by Weld.
fortleft says
The public has a short memory. And Martin would be a moderate Republican which is somewhat of an oxymoron these days.
https://mhasegawa.com
Trickle up says
this guy will parachute into the Commonwealth and run.
Honestly, if there are any moderate Republicans left anywhere in the US of A, carpetbagging here could be their best shot.
jconway says
I am confident that my candidate Markey will win the primary and the general election but I think Dan has some interesting ideas and is a civil and compassionate public servant and that debate, between him and Markey would be a substantive one focused on the issues and sharp policy differences between them and be good for the Commonwealth and the republic. It would be like Vinick Santos all over again. A lot better than Scott ‘just look at her’ Brown.
bluewatch says
So, Markey is inevitable. And, Dan Winslow is somebody that nobody’s ever heard of before. Winslow can win, and here’s how:
Markey spends his money on the primary election, and is over-confident.
By contrast, Winslow is able to use Brown’s fundraisers and has lots of cash for the general election.
Many people in South Boston and many Lynch supporters vote for Winslow.
And we lose another special election!
markbernstein says
Come off the ledge 🙂
Markey isn’t going to be overconfident. Everyone learned that lesson. The primary will be fought well, but the campaign will always be keeping an eye on the special election. Will the primary be so bruising as to leave the victor unelectable? No: the minority wing of the Mass Dems aren’t going to burn the ground and salt the earth, not right after doing all that work to elect Warren.
Indulge people in a little bit of confidence. It’s not a jinx. We’ll still work hard, but we’re going to be favored to win this one, and we’re going to do it.
Mark L. Bail says
If he wins, the benefit is obvious. If he loses, he gains name state-wide recognition and increases his respect within the party because he’s taken one for the team.
David says
Most likely he’s in – word is now that he’s holding a presser tomorrow to announce his decision. If it was a “no,” he’d probably just put out a statement like everyone else.
sco says
Quick! Everyone scour through his BMG comments to find something he’ll have to defend! 😉
afertig says
Are the editors able to freeze his previous posts in case a Senate candidate Winslow might want to make revisions? Can we save all comments? Not just a matter of deleting #bqhatevwr type typos, I mean making sure that his previous record is preserved.
And before somebody criticizes me for being cynical and untrusting, I would just point to wealth of previous GOP candidates who change positions based on the office they’re running for.
SomervilleTom says
On at least two recent BMG threads, Mr. Winslow articulated positions that I suspect will work against him a campaign against Ed Markey (or even Steve Lynch).
In the (Winslow bringing “GOP Steals 2016″ project to Mass) he not only calls Massachusetts politically irrelevant (apparently because the Registered Republican is an endangered species in Massachusetts), but he calls for yet more election shenanigans (like voter ID and gerrymandering) to aid the GOP — almost surely, yet again, at the expense of minority voters.
In the second (Given numerous opportunities, Dan Winslow refuses to disavow Rick Green’s “union thug” comment), Mr. Winslow can’t bring himself to reject Mr. Green’s outrageous comments. That will play particularly well against Mr. Markey or Mr. Lynch — NOT.
I also suggest that his posture in the exchanges about racism in the GOP (such as here and here) deserves a more public airing.
In Mr. Winslow’s efforts to re-brand the party, some chrome and shiny parts here and there might look spanking new — I suggest that the chassis, power train, interior, and body are the same old GOP.
johnk says
I don’t think we should be over concerned with Dan. While whomever the candidate that comes out of the Democratic side should not ignore and take votes for granted (which I don’t think will happen), Dan is unknown. Most people in the state he’ll be “some Republican guy” on the other side of the ticket.
I don’t think Dan is even on the Plan B list. It’s generous to even put him there. MA GOP are still searching high and low for someone from the B list. Dan is a rung below, and it’s not being smug, it’s just honest.
johnk says
Winslow is on Twitter begging for media to contact him to “set up interviews” after his announcement.
and in other news, web contact on Winslow’s grovelling was Rob Willington. Yes, I immediately did a Reverse IP Lookup, didn’t find anything.
Don’t beg Dan, it’s beneath you.
scout says
National Review is reporting that, despite firm denials elsewhere, Tagg is still considering a run. It’s hard to imagine this actually happening, IMHO.
Christopher says
…do we get to see a miniature blimp crash and burn?:)
Jack Mitchell says
Er .. Um ..
Thus, Tagg throws faux gauntlets, then apologizes.
johnk says
this.
Who’s running PT Barnum?
sco says
I actually think Rep Winslow is probably the most formidable GOP candidate left, but I think it would be hilarious if this was all just a scheme for him to get more email addresses on his mailing list.
sharoney says
I’ll let that stand as commentary.
David says
that the AP has picked up this post. This is from the San Francisco Chronicle: