Mike Minogue, the former CEO of medical device company Abiomed and a prolific Republican donor, won the Massachusetts Republican Party’s endorsement with a commanding lead at the GOP convention in Worcester Saturday
Minogue garnered 70% of the votes from roughly 1,800 delegates gathered in DCU Arena.
Minogue was trailed by two officials who served under former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. Mike Kenneally, who was Baker’s secretary of housing and economic development and has worked in private equity, received just 14% of the vote and did not make the party’s primary ballot. Brian Shortsleeve, a venture capitalist who ran the MBTA under Baker, eked out a spot on the ballot with 16% of the vote..
Anne Brensley, a Wayland selectwoman and Minogue’s endorsed candidate, won the contest for lieutenant governor with 57% of votes cast. Peabody City Councilor Anne Manning Martin, Kennealy’s running mate, finished second at 27%, and New Bedford City Councilor Shawn Oliver, Shortsleeve’s running mate, narrowly made the primary ballot with 17%.
Mass. GOP rules dictate that a candidate who receives 50% of the vote is the party’s endorsed candidate, and that a candidate who receives less than 15% of the vote is ineligible for the party’s primary ballot.
Speaking to the delegates before the votes were cast, Minogue cast himself both as an intrepid leader capable of transforming Massachusetts and as a man of faith whose foray into politics is driven by deep religious conviction.
“When I was growing up my summer job was digging pools, and when the machine wouldn’t reach into the pool, the boss would say, somebody’s got to go in and dig — so I’d jump in,” Minogue said. “When I was in the Army, somebody had to deploy and fight from the front lines, so I went. When Abiomed was struggling, and somebody had to help turn the company around, I did. So now, somebody needs to fix the commonwealth — and I will.”
“My whole life, I’ve taken on the tough jobs — because I believe that when you follow God’s path, and you do hard things, you serve something bigger than yourself,” he added, responding to an “Amen” from the crowd with one of his own. “And I have been blessed to live a life of purpose. .
Minogue received thunderous applause when he promised to repeal the controversial MBTA Communities Act, which requires municipalities served by the MBTA to create denser zoning. The response was almost as enthusiastic when he vowed not to let Massachusetts be a sanctuary state — a label Democratic Governor Maura Healey rejects — and to end programs he said make Massachusetts a destination for people who have immigrated illegally.
Near the end of his speech, after stating that “girls need fair and safe sports,” Minogue played up his status as a political neophyte and described the political stakes as existential.
“I’m the only political outsider running for governor, and that gives me the freedom and the ability to fight for you,” Minogue said.
“We know this is a tipping point election,” he added. “This is a special time. Look around. This is our time to answer our call to come together to win and save the Commonwealth.”
In picking Minogue for the party’s endorsement, most delegates ignored a warning from Shortsleeve, who offered many of the same criticisms of Healey as Minogue in his speech but also called Minogue’s resume in public life worrisomely thin..
“Well, my friends, let’s have some straight talk,” Shortsleeve said. “First and foremost we need a nominee who has been stress-tested and vetted in public life. No surprises.”
In his address to delegates, Kennealy, who was the only candidate who hasn’t voted for Donald Trump, repeatedly called Healey “America’s worst governor.” He also attempted to address concern about his conservative bona fides by promising that the Republican base would be his North Star if elected.
It was a vow that implicitly criticized Baker, his former boss, who enjoyed high popularity ratings throughout his two terms in office.
“I think we can all agree that for three decades, there has been a disconnect between the conservative grassroots of the Republican party and the Republican governors that have served on Beacon Hill,” Kennealy said. “That is not the kind of governor I will be … You will be the heart, soul and lifeblood of the Kennealy- Manning Martin administration.”
It was, apparently, a promise that did not resonate with the audience.
The convention also endorsed several candidates who were running without opponents, including John Deaton for U.S. Senate, Elizabeth Dionne for treasurer, and Mike Walsh for attorney general.
