State Sen. Peter Durant’s victory earlier this month in a particular Senate election “affirmatively answers” the query of whether or not or not Republican campaigns are viable in Massachusetts, the highest Senate Republican mentioned minutes earlier than Durant was sworn into his new function.
Durant handily beat Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik, a Gardner Democrat, by greater than 2,000 votes in an election for a Central Massachusetts Senate seat final held by Sen. Anne Gobi, who left the Legislature for a job within the Healey administration.
Massachusetts Republicans considered the district as their greatest likelihood so as to add to their three-member caucus within the 40-member Senate, and have gone on a victory parade of types since Durant’s win.
“He has proven that the ideals that we share, the principles that we stand for are viable in Massachusetts, and the voters in his district spoke loud and clear about that,” Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr informed reporters earlier than Gov. Maura Healey swore Durant in as a state senator Wednesday.
MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale mentioned Tarr’s take is “right on point.”
“We think that the election of Sen. Durant shows that races can be competitive in Massachusetts when you have a strong candidate who is well-known in the district and can work cooperatively with a state party,” Carnevale informed the Herald. “Those races can be winnable and we’ll be looking ahead to next fall to target additional seats.”
Two Republicans have already thrown their hats into the ring for Durant’s previous House seat, which covers Spencer, Charlton, Southbridge, and Dudley.
Carnvale mentioned John Marsi, a Dudley selectman, and David Adams, a Southbridge city councilor, search the publish. Adams filed paperwork initially of November to run for the House seat as a Republican.
Carnevale mentioned the MassGOP’s “immediate focus” is on the potential upcoming particular election for Durant’s previous House seat. House Speaker Ronald Mariano has the facility to name a particular election.
But the social gathering is already eyeing different House and Senate races throughout the state, although she declined to call particular seats aside from a race within the “northeast area” and “down on Cape Cod.”
“We’ll be competitive,” Carnevale mentioned. “I would just kind of preface it, with being a presidential election year, that’s a year that is typically more difficult for Republicans in Massachusetts. We’re going into this with a little bit of lower expectations than what it might be in a non-presidential election year.”
Many of the municipalities within the district went for Durant, together with his hometown of Spencer by greater than 500 votes, in keeping with unofficial outcomes. And regardless that he misplaced Gardner and a sliver of Worcester, the vote margins had been simply sufficient to maintain his victory believable.
Durant largely constructed his marketing campaign round immigration and Second Amendment points, loudly backing controversial modifications to the state’s right-to-shelter regulation, which requires Massachusetts present momentary housing to eligible households with kids and pregnant folks.
The Spencer Republican’s victory marks the primary time in six years that the Senate Republican caucus has added a member. Durant mentioned he appears ahead to a “more congenial atmosphere.”
“I’m sure we’re going to argue a lot. I’m sure there’s a lot of things that are going to happen where we don’t agree,” he mentioned. “But you know, in the nature of trying to accomplish things and get things done for our districts and for the commonwealth, that kind of camaraderie works. And we look forward to that kind of work in the Senate.”
State Sen. Ryan Fattman, a Sutton Republican who declared in May that the MassGOP would win the Senate seat, mentioned he inspired Durant to run when he first heard Gobi was leaving the Legislature.
“There’s a lot of good things that have happened over the course of the last few years, bringing balance back to our state. And Peter is just another example of that. We’ve been a cohesive team as a Senate Republican Caucus. We will continue to be that way. And we’re very excited about the coming session in January,” he mentioned.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”