BOSTON — A case of allegedly fraudulent nomination signatures that derailed the campaigns of two statewide Republican candidates is also exposing fissures among remaining contenders and party officials. And the infighting comes as Republicans face an uphill battle into the corner office.
On Tuesday, gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve hosted a press conference outside the Statehouse where he criticized responses to the alleged signature fraud from his primary opponent Mike Minogue and the MassGOP.
“The MassGOP knew these signatures were fraudulent, and they chose to do nothing. Republicans should have condemned it immediately,” Shortsleeve said.
“Instead, they attack the candidates who had the courage to say fraud is wrong, no matter who is doing it. That tells you everything. This has never been about principle. It’s about protecting the political establishment,” he added.
Shortsleeve running manning Shawn Oliver and Democratic Party Executive Director Adam Roof filed similar complaints alleging Anne Manning-Martin had filed fraudulent nomination signatures and didn’t get the necessary 10,000 certified signatures to appear on the ballot. Those complaints were consolidated and considered as one on a motion Roof filed on behalf of Democrats and the Oliver committee. Roof also filed a similar complaint against Michael Walsh, a GOP hopeful for attorney general.
Before the commission’s ruling that Manning-Martin and Walsh failed to meet signature requirements, Republican State Committee members co-signed an email criticizing the move to consolidate Oliver’s and Roof’s complaints.
“This decision by the Oliver committee to work with the Democrats to damage the campaign of a Republican candidate is a violation of our bylaws and betrayal of our values,” they said in the email, which the News Service obtained from Republican National Committeeman Brad Wyatt.
After the commission issued its decision, Minogue also condemned Oliver, saying in a statement to the Boston Herald: “It is shameful that anyone would oppose unifying to win, but unfathomable that anyone would join arms with bad actors to block the democratic process.”
Shortsleeve backed his running mate, saying Oliver followed the rules and it’s crucial to address issues of election fraud and corruption. He said the MassGOP is asking Republicans to “ignore election fraud because it’s one of their own” and that he would not.
“And the hypocrisy being demonstrated by Minogue and his MassGOP minions will do lasting damage to the Republican Party’s attempts to improve election security and generate more confidence in election outcomes,” he said.
Shortsleeve also said Minogue’s response to the issue raises “serious questions” about how he would handle potential election fraud and corruption if elected governor and called on him to “rethink the consequences of his defense of election fraud.”
A spokesperson for Minogue did not respond to the News Service’s request for a response on Shortsleeve’s comments.
Shortsleeve also said that the MassGOP has been “trying to clear the field” for Minogue.
Asked if he feels supported by the MassGOP, Shortsleeve said he is running his own race and the party is “hopelessly incompetent and ineffective, so, I don’t think the MassGOP matters much at this point.”
“I’m disappointed that they can’t stand up and lead here. I’m disappointed we don’t see better leadership,” he said.
Still, Shortsleeve said he’d “work with anybody that wants to take back the corner office” when asked if there’s a chance to patch things up with MassGOP.
In a statement to the News Service, Amy Carnevale, chairwoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, called Shortsleeve’s attacks on the party “disappointing.”
“In criticizing the party, Brian is dismissing our grassroots, who made up the 70% of delegates who supported Mike Minogue for Governor at (the) Convention,” Carnevale said. “Legal maneuvering with Democrats to clear the field for one candidate without allowing voters to have their choice does our voters a huge disservice.”
Inside a Worcester arena, Minogue swept the GOP convention in April earning more than 70% of the delegates’ votes. Shortsleeve earned 15.5% — narrowly clearing the party’s 15.5% threshold to keep his campaign alive.
A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of Massachusetts registered voters found the candidates are both trailing Gov. Maura Healey by similar margins. Healey outpolled Minogue 56% to 31% and Shortsleeve earned 29% to the incumbent’s 56%. The survey of 500 Massachusetts voters was conducted from June 8 to June 12 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4%.
Walsh has appealed the ruling in hopes of getting his name back on the ballot and Manning-Martin says she plans to do so before the July 1 deadline. If the rulings hold, Oliver would be the sole GOP candidate for lieutenant governor and there would be no Republican contender for attorney general. Also, Republicans don’t have candidates for the secretary of state and auditor races.
Katie Castellani is a reporter for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro reach her at kcastellani@statehousenews.com.