Robichaud Is Dead Wrong On Tisei

GOP should run Tisei vs. Tierney

Should Republicans take a page out of the Democrats’ playbook?
Over the past six months, the Democrats have cleared the field for Lizzy Warren. Her coronation as their Senate nominee will give the Harvard Law professor a direct shot at our hometown Sen. Scott Brown.
It is a dangerous move on behalf of the Democrats to anoint a novice candidate who has not been fully vetted. Remember, President Obama declined to nominate Lizzy to spearhead the new consumer agency she designed, because she could not survive the Senate confirmation process.
But clearing the primary path might be a good strategy for Republicans to adopt against U.S. Rep. John Tierney.
Many believe the North Shore district is the GOP’s best chance to capture a congressional seat in Massachusetts.
Unlike Lizzy, former state Sen. Richard Tisei, who ran on the ticket with Charlie Baker in 2010, has been thoroughly vetted and is a proven vote-getter.
The newly drawn district, which covers a large portion of his old Senate district, was one area where the Baker-Tisei ticket ran the strongest.
Since entering the race last November, Tisei has raised a whopping $305,000. That’s record-breaking for a Massachusetts Republican’s first FEC report.
On the other hand, second-time candidate Bill Hudak has been able to scrounge up only $21,300 between January 2011 to Sept. 30, which is less than his $25,000 debt. His fourth quarter reports have not been filed yet.
Despite Patrice Tierney’s conviction at the end of the 2010 campaign season, Hudak only received a disappointing 43 percent of the vote. He ran behind the ticket, not ahead of it.
Democrats have helped Elizabeth Warren’s former rivals gracefully withdraw — Sen. John Kerry threw a fundraiser to retire exiting candidate Setti Warren’s debt, for example — and Republicans should do the same for Hudak.
He could use his team to win a lower-tier office, as former Republican state Senate leader Brian Lees did. Lees first ran unsuccessfully for Congress, but he turned that defeat into a winning campaign for the state Senate. There is an open Governor’s Council seat that would be a great fit for Hudak, who is an attorney.
Being able to save valuable resources from avoiding a primary and having the opportunity to directly confront the incumbent for nine months instead of seven weeks greatly would enhance Tisei’s chances.
There are so many questions the Tierneys should be forced to answer. Seven weeks is not enough time to get a tarnished Tierney to tell the truth.
With such strong financial backing for Tisei’s candidacy, Hudak would be wise to run for another office, so the GOP can pick up two seats rather than one.

Commentary

Holly please do the right thing and shut the %^&* up