Last year, Republican John Deaton challenged Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in the general election and lost by 20 points. Now, the personal-injury lawyer and cryptocurrency advocate is launching another run for Senate — this time, for the seat currently held by Democrat Sen. Ed Markey, who’s also drawn a primary challenge from Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and former teacher Alex Rikleen.
GBH News spoke with Deaton the day after he officially launched his campaign. Here are some of the biggest early takeaways about his second Senate run.
He calls the wealth gap the biggest threat facing the country and has grudging praise for Zohran Mamdani.
“The wealth gap that exists today is the greatest it’s ever been in American history,” Deaton said. “And I truly believe it’s the greatest threat to our constitutional Republic.
“Let’s not call Zohran Mamdani names,” he added, referring to the newly-elected New York City mayor who’s been (incorrectly) labeled a “communist” by many conservatives. “Let’s try to figure out why a person like him is appealing to people. Why is his message resonating with Americans? And it’s because they can’t afford to live. ... I understand why people are turning to socialism, and turning to a charismatic socialist leader.”
Not surprisingly, though, Deaton has different diagnoses of both the root of and solution to the wealth gap issue. He cites the bailout of the nation’s biggest banks after the 2008 financial crisis as the origin of the problem, and advocates (among other measures) repealing the Accredited Investor rule that restricts which Americans can invest in private equity as a way to help more people build wealth.
He’s still never voted for Donald Trump.
During his previous campaign, Deaton said he didn’t vote for President Donald Trump in 2016 or 2020. He now says he didn’t vote for the former and future Republican president last year, either.
“I agree with some of the things President Trump’s done,” Deaton said. “Like listen, securing the borders, that was a no-brainer, and that’s good for Massachusetts.
“Peace is a good thing, right? If you can bring peace and broker these peace deals, that’s a good thing,” he added. “But we live in a divided country, and if you’re too divisive then I just don’t see [you] bringing the country together. We need to come together.”
Deaton went on to describe political divisiveness as the second-biggest threat facing the country after the wealth gap (see above), and decried what he called former President Joe Biden’s inability to act as a unifying agent.
He’s not a fan of some of ICE’s tactics, but thinks Democrats are partly to blame.
Some things ICE has done are simply unjustifiable, Deaton told GBH News, including the March arrest of Tufts doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk.
“Someone who comes here illegally that commits a felony, right — rape, child molestation — that’s a no-brainer,” Deaton said. “Let’s work together to get that person deported. That doesn’t mean I support snatching grad students off the street because they wrote an op-ed you don’t like. Shame!”
Deaton added that he objects to arresting 20-year-olds who were brought here illegally as 5-year-olds and have become productive members of society. But he also faulted Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu for what he described as an unwillingness to meaningfully cooperate with federal immigration authorities.
“It [exacerbates] the situation,” Deaton said. “If I were the governor, if I were a senator sitting there, I would be like, ‘Let’s have a seat at the table with ICE,’ ‘cause then maybe you can help direct. Like, ‘Wait a minute, I’ll help you here, I’ll help you identify the bad guys, but we’re not going to help you identify the innocents.’ ... If you’re in it, you can maybe push back.”
His critique of career politicians echoes Moulton’s call for a “new generation of leadership.”
Deaton is 58 years old, but when he talks about entrenched Washington politicians of a more mature vintage, he sounds a lot like Moulton. The Salem congressman is 47 and has made Markey’s age and duration of service central to the case against him.
“I feel that we’re in a crisis — I mean, a real true crisis in this country,” Deaton said. “And career politicians like Ed Markey, like [Sen.] Mitch McConnell, like [Sen.] Lindsey Graham, like [Sen.] Chuck Grassley at 92 years old [who’s] going to run again, like [Rep.] Nancy Pelosi. So I’ll put all the Republicans in the same group as I put the Democrats, and say you have stolen the prosperity of young people in this country.”
He’s bullish on nuclear power.
Deaton derides the “Green New Deal,” which Markey was instrumental in creating, as “crap,” and says he doesn’t see how someone can be an environmentalist and support offshore wind development. But he thinks onshore wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric power also have a role to play in weaning the United States off fossil fuels. And he says there’s another key part of the solution — namely, building new, smaller-scale nuclear power plants.
“The fact that Ed Markey, who thinks the Green New Deal is the answer, does not incorporate nuclear is insane,” Deaton said. “It is 95% efficient and it is carbon free. Zero emissions. And you could take one SMR – small molecular [modular] reactor – it takes less than four acres of land, not the hundreds of acres you need for solar or all the wind turbines, less than four acres. And one SMR can power 300,000 homes in Massachusetts.
“They’re an investment, but we could stage four or five of those and nuclear could be 40% of our solution at carbon zero [emissions],” Deaton said. “And so ... if things go the way I want, I’ll actually be able to make that case to the independents and the disenfranchised Democrats in this state. And I think they’ll see what the Boston Globe called me last year: a ‘reasonable’ alternative.”
WATCH: GBH News’ sit-down with John Deaton in the 2024 election
