With the Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial primary just weeks away, the temperature is heating up between the remaining candidates.
Former Baker administration member Brian Shortsleeve has taken up voter ID as a lane to attack his opponent Mike Minogue, the former medical device company CEO who has the backing of the state party.
In June, the State Ballot Law Commission found that Republican Lt. Gov. candidate Anne Manning Martin was ineligible for next month’s primary when over 1,200 of the 10,000 signatures required for ballot inclusion were found to be fraudulent.
After an Essex County Superior Court judge confirmed the commission’s decision to block her from the ballot, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied Manning Martin’s attempt to appeal the decision last month.
As Massachusetts Republicans prepare to decide who they’ll send to the November general election against incumbent Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, who is running unopposed in her primary, one hopeful is leaning into the issue in recent TV ads.
“I am a strong supporter of voter ID, and I am the only one in this race talking about voter ID," Shortsleeve said. "This is a great issue for Republicans, Independents, Democrats in the state, across the political spectrum. There's great support for voter ID.”
Brian Shortsleeve’s campaign has described Manning Martin as Mike Minogue’s “preferred running mate,” and the former MBTA chief administrator is tying the signature snafu to his opponent.
“The reality is Mike Minogue has defended signature fraud," Shortsleeve said. "We had candidates for the lieutenant governor slot that committed signature fraud. We worked hard to remove them from the ballot, and I am proud to stand tall for election integrity. I would welcome Mike Minogue to step forth and talk about voter ID, talk about election integrity, talk about his views on it. But his silence on this topic is deafening.”
Minogue’s campaign denied multiple requests for an interview with the candidate, but in a statement said he “believes in safe and fair elections,” and “as governor, he will audit the system to ensure it is one of the best in the country.”
The campaign also said that Minogue did not officially endorse any candidate for lieutenant governor in the Republican primary.
Minogue has stated that he won’t participate in a debate with Shortsleeve, which Shortsleeve has also dug into as an issue.
“I am accessible," he said. "I'm happy to answer questions from the media, I'm happy to go on the radio and talk to people. Mike Minogue refuses to debate. He doesn't want to have any debates, he doesn't want to take tough questions, he doesn't want to be in unscripted environments. My view in public life is if you want to be governor, you better be willing to get out there and answer the tough questions from anybody. It's part of the job.”
MassGOP delegates overwhelmingly backed Minogue for governor at this spring’s state convention in Worcester, where he secured 70% of the vote.
Party Chair Amy Carnevale declined a request for comment on this story, but issued a public rebuke of Shortsleeve’s criticism of Minogue last month.
"It is my responsibility to stand up for and support Republican candidates, particularly when they are being unfairly attacked, misrepresented, or wronged," Carnevale said. "In this case, fraud was perpetrated against our candidates. Brian Shortsleeve’s attempt to exploit that fraud for political advantage, while portraying himself as a champion of election integrity and disparaging fellow Republicans, is both misleading and deeply disappointing. This kind of conduct does a disservice to the candidates, the Republican Party, and the voters whose trust we are working to earn."
Shortsleeve, who has raised just over $1.6 million in his gubernatorial bid to Minogue’s almost $11 million, says his decision underscores his campaign narrative that he is an outsider running against party elites.
“We are the ones, when the chips were down and there was clear signature fraud from candidates, in this case on our side, we stood up to it," he said. "And I think when it comes to election integrity and it comes to voter fraud, it's independent of party. If people are breaking the rules, whether they are a Democrat or Republican, you've got to stand up for it. I'm very proud that we stood up to it. My running mate, Shawn Oliver, is the only lieutenant governor candidate on the ballot because Shawn did it the right way. He followed the rules and he did it the right way.”
Primary day is Sept. 1.
