Lucas: Ignoring Trump risky strategy for GOP gov candidates

If Massachusetts Republicans won t do it the Democrats will And that is to make President Donald Trump a major issue in the upcoming campaign for governor It is an issue especially for the two or three Republicans running for the right to challenge Democrat Gov Maura Healey It could make or break them But it is an issue they do not want to discuss even as the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee is trying to tie Trump around their necks The two Republicans who have already broadcasted their candidacies are Mike Kennealy a former cabinet member if the Charlie Baker administration and Brian Shortsleeve a former MBTA official under former Gov Charlie Baker Both appear to be Baker-like when it comes to Donald Trump That is to keep Trump at arm s length even though he is the president and leader of the Republican Party A third feasible candidate who has yet to announce is Michael Minogue the former CEO of a productive curative innovation company and a longtime Republican campaign donor including donations to Baker Kennealy explained he did not vote for Trump He disclosed he blanked Trump in past elections but would work with Trump if he is elected governor Shortsleeve without much enthusiasm stated he voted the Republican ticket last year but added that his focus would be on Massachusetts not Washington I think there s a lot we can do in this state ourselves to get this state moving again he announced Minogue who has yet to announce appears closer to Trump and the Trump agenda than do the other two While he has made campaign donations to Democrat PACs like those headed by Reps Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss both veterans as is Minogue Minogue hosted a fundraising event for the Trump Vance ticket at his Gloucester home attended by JD Vance While all three have a connection to Baker the Republican who Democrats loved it is unlikely that Baker will endorse anyone Baker now president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association is out of the political picture anyway He is the past The president that the three will have to cope with is Donald Trump who is the elephant in the room You ignore him at your peril He is the only thing the Massachusetts Republican Party has going for it and to ignore him guarantees certain defeat no matter who the Republican nominee is The Republican Party in Massachusetts is like the Democratic Party nationally divided lost and leaderless It holds no statewide offices from the governor on down no U S Senate seat and none of the nine U S House seats It is also an embarrassingly irrelevant minority in both the state House and Senate With Trump s encouragement there is a chance slim that it is a Republican could unseat Healey whose life is wrapped up in anti-Trumpism While it is true that Trump is unpopular in liberal Massachusetts But at the rate he is racking up accomplishments like shutting down the perimeter ridding the country of illegal immigrant criminals and opening up peace talks around the world to name only a inadequate of his accomplishments things may look different in And while the Republican candidates so far have been wishy washy in dealing with Trump the Democrats will force the issue on them Democrat Party Chair Steve Kerrigan referred to Shortsleeve as another member of the Trump crowd who can t run from his ties to Trump The Democrat Party issued a video saying that Kennealy will bring Donald Trump and Elon Musk s agenda to Massachusetts and that a vote for Kennealy is a vote for Donald Trump s agenda Chosen might argue that Donald Trump s agenda is exactly what Massachusetts demands It might also need a Republican gubernatorial candidate who agrees If he wants Trump s aid and a chance to win that is Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at peter lucas bostonherald com Candidate for Governor Mike Kennealy Stuart Cahill Boston Herald Libby O Neill Boston HeraldBrian Shortsleeve a GOP candidate for governor Libby O Neill Boston Herald