Trump-backed Diehl wins Massachusetts GOP governor primary
Former state consultant and Donald Trump-backed candidate Geoff Diehl secured the GOP nomination for governor of Massachusetts on Tuesday.
Diehl defeated the extra average businessman Chris Doughty and can face off this November towards Democratic Lawyer Normal Maura Healey, who could be the primary lady and first overtly homosexual particular person elected to the workplace.
Massachusetts’ present governor, Republican Charlie Baker, determined to not run for a 3rd time period.
Massachusetts is the newest Democratic stronghold during which Republicans have nominated the Trump-backed candidate following victories by Leora Levy in Connecticut and Dan Cox in Maryland.
Diehl may have a troublesome time defeating Healey, who has emerged because the heavy favourite within the race in one of the vital liberal states within the nation the place lower than 10% of registered voters are Republican in comparison with 31% Democrat.
Whereas Massachusetts has a historical past of electing fiscally conservative, social average Republicans as governor — together with Mitt Romney and Baker — voters could not heat as much as a Trump loyalist.
Diehl unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2018, when he obtained simply 36% of the vote regardless of successful a three-way GOP major.
Throughout a victory social gathering Tuesday earlier than the GOP race was referred to as, Healey, whose solely opponent dropped out of the race, claimed that no matter who she would run towards, “We all know he’ll be out of contact with the values we stand for.”
“They’ll deliver Trumpism to Massachusetts,” she added about each candidates.
Diehl’s ties to Trump return to 2016, when he served as co-chair for the ex-president’s marketing campaign in Massachusetts.
He has embraced Trump’s claims that he had received the 2020 election. Final 12 months he stated he didn’t suppose it was a “stolen election” however later stated the election was rigged regardless of any proof.
Healey has campaigned on increasing job coaching applications, making youngster care extra reasonably priced and modernizing the state’s colleges. She promised to guard “entry to protected and authorized abortion in Massachusetts” following the Supreme Court docket’s choice to overturn Roe v. Wade.
She’s going to look to interrupt Massachusetts’ lengthy historical past of former lawyer generals shedding their bids for governor. Since 1958, six AGs have ran for workplace and every misplaced.
With Publish Wires
