BOSTON (WHDH) - The primary election for the Republican nominee for Massachusetts governor was underway Tuesday, with candidates Brian Shortsleeve and Mike Minogue both vying for the nomination. The winner of the race with go head-to-head with Governor Maura Healey in November.
Shortsleeve and Minogue have both centered their campaigns on improving the cost of living; each calling for lowering taxes and slashing, what they call, wasteful spending in the state.
Shortsleeve, 54, is a United State Marine Veteran and a Harvard University graduate. He has experience working to grow small technology companies, and also served as the Chief Administrator and Acting General Manager of the MBTA in 2015 under former Governor Charlie Baker.
As he makes his own run for governor, he said his past experience in the private and public sectors will help him put taxpayers first. Shortsleeve voted in Barnstable Tuesday morning.
“Everywhere I travel around the state I hear from people who want change. Not just Republicans, it’s Independents who feel left out, it’s Democrats who feel abandoned. So this race is about restoring affordability,” Shortsleeve said.
Mike Minogue said he wants to be a “new kind of governor.” The 59-year-old is a graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point. After serving as an Army Infantry officer, he worked as a CEO for a medical device company. Minogue is also the founder of a nonprofit that connects veterans to jobs in the medical device industry. He spoke to 7NEWS after casting his ballot in Hamilton Tuesday.
“That’s what makes Massachusetts so great, is our culture about faith, familiy, and we’re also entrepreneurs. So we want to make sure Massachusetts remains to be the best place to live, work, and raise a family,” Minogue said.
Both candidates say they want to cut taxes, lower energy costs, and increase the number of jobs. Both support ending Massachusetts’ sanctuary status and putting an end to tax-funded benefits for migrants.
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