Mike Minogue needn’t fear about not being a lot of a Republican.
Former Gov. Charlie Baker was not a lot of a Republican both, but he was elected twice and possibly would have received a 3rd time had he run in 2022.
Baker, in accordance with President Donald Trump and others, was not solely a RINO (Republican In Title Solely), however a RINO’S RINO.
“He shouldn’t even be thought of a Republican,” Trump mentioned of Baker.
But it surely labored. Baker was a preferred and — with exceptions — an efficient governor in progressive and closely Democrat Massachusetts, and he discovered methods to work with an overwhelmingly Democrat managed Legislature.
Baker seemed Republican however talked Democrat.
The stumbling round of Democrat Gov. Maura Healey, Baker’s progressive successor, makes Baker, looking back, look like a fair higher governor than he was.
Healey is working for a second time period.
Baker was simply not Donald Trump’s type of Republican, which is why Democrats favored and supported him, and why the Trump faction of the divided GOP didn’t.
Baker could also be gone now, as is way of the division within the GOP. However Trump remains to be right here, and the three fairly certified Republicans working for governor should work out the way to take care of him.
They’re Minogue, 56, of Hamilton, Mike Kennealy, 45, of Lexington, and Brian Shortsleeve, 52, of Barnstable. None has run for public workplace earlier than, though each Kennealy and Shirtsleeve labored for Baker.
Whereas all three are profitable within the enterprise world, Minogue’s success has been most spectacular. Earlier than leaving Abiomed, creator of the world’s smallest coronary heart pump, he earned $3 million a 12 months and has a web price $90 million.
An early however fascinating growth within the three-way contest is that Minogue has come underneath fireplace from Shortsleeve and Kennealy for apparently showing to distance himself from the GOP.
In a WBUR interview, Minogue mentioned, “I don’t establish with a celebration.” He added, nonetheless, that he aligned with the social gathering on his ideas, although.
After he was attacked by the Shortsleeve and Kennealy campaigns for preserving the social gathering at arm’s size whereas working as a Republican, Minogue informed the Herald, “I swore an oath to the Structure at West Level, to not a political social gathering. I received’t put social gathering politics forward of what’s finest for Massachusetts or America.”
Minogue, a political newcomer, is correct. And his feedback will attraction to impartial voters, who make up the majority of the voting public.
Nonetheless, Minogue made his remarks too quickly.
There are 3,119,486 impartial or unenrolled voters in Massachusetts in comparison with 1,236,762 Democrats and 402,327 Republicans
Minogue should first make his case to Republicans, not independents, if he plans to win the GOP conference endorsement or prevail in a Republican main. There might be no independents on the conference and few voting in a GOP main.
Then there may be the Trump or the White Home issue
Whereas Minogue has been an necessary Trump contributor, developing, as an example, with a $100,000 contribution to the Trump 47 Committee, this doesn’t translate into an endorsement, which Minogue could or could not need.
That is Massachusetts, in any case, the place progressive Democrats and their leftist media allies deal with an endorsement from Trump like a slap on the again from Hitler.
Whereas Trump could keep out of the race, it doesn’t imply that the White Home will keep out, too.
Minogue, in any case, did host a high-end Massachusetts fundraiser for Vice President JD Vance final July. That might imply loads.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas may be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
