Massachusetts Republican primary voters on Tuesday chose former state Rep. Geoff Diehl as their gubernatorial nominee over Chris Doughty, a more moderate businessman. Diehl, who campaigned on his backing from former President Donald Trump, is considered the underdog against state Attorney General Maura Healey, the Democratic nominee. Healey, if she wins, will be the first woman and openly gay person elected governor in Massachusetts.
"Massachusetts has a history of electing fiscally conservative, socially moderate Republican governors — including former Govs. William Weld and Mitt Romney," as well as outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker (R), The Associated Press reports. Doughty was running in the same mold, but Republican primary voters opted to make Massachusetts "the latest blue state this midterm season to nominate a Trump loyalist," joining Maryland and Illinois.
Diehl said last year he didn't think 2020 was a "stolen election" but now echoes Trump's false claim the election was "rigged." Trump, in a tele-rally for Diehl on Monday night, called his chosen candidate "a proven fighter" who would "rule your state with an iron fist."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Healey, who ran virtually unopposed after her primary opponent dropped out of the race, "does face an oddball hurdle in Massachusetts — the so-called curse of the attorney general," AP notes. "Since 1958, six former Massachusetts attorneys general have sought the governor's office. All failed." But she is favored to beat Diehl, who lost to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) by 24 percentage points in the 2018 Senate race, in a state that President Biden won by 33 points, The Washington Post notes.
None of the nine incumbent congressional Democrats faced primary challengers, and most of the GOP House primaries only had one candidate. In the competitive race to replace Healey as attorney general, Democrats chose Andrea Campbell, the first Black woman to be president of the Boston City Council, over labor lawyer Shannon Lisa-Riordan. Campbell will face Republican trial attorney Jay McMahon.
-
Home Depots are the new epicenters of ICE raidsIn the Spotlight The chain has not provided many comments on the ongoing raids
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
The pros and cons of banning cellphones in classroomsPros and cons The devices could be major distractions
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
