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As the Massachusetts GOP is gathering for its convention in Worcester this weekend, Airborne Ranger and former Abiomed CEO Mike Minogue appears to have the wind in his sails. With a solid business background, he is positioning himself as the practical problem-solver and outsider, running in the primary against two veterans of the Charlie Baker administration.
Minogue, who ran a leading medical devices company for two decades, also benefits from a massive financial advantage over his two GOP rivals, Brian Shortsleeve, former Chief Administrator of the MBTA, and Mike Kennealy, Secretary of Housing and Economic Development under Baker.
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“I am running as the political outsider, and because of that, I have the freedom and the ability to solve problems for our citizens. And I think that’s why I’m gonna win, and that’s why we’ve got most momentum.”
Delegates will vote for the party nomination for governor, and other statewide offices. According to party rules, candidates need 15% of the vote to qualify for the September primary ballot, and 50% of the vote to receive an official endorsement from the party.
The convention will be a test of Minogue’s ability to capitalize on a robust infrastructure and fundraising effort, against two establishment candidates.
Minogue brings a compelling narrative to a campaign in which the GOP will face an uphill battle to unseat incumbent Governor Maura Healey.
He was awarded the Bronze Star for service in Operation Desert Storm, and went on to a highly successful career in the medical devices industry, ultimately guiding a deal in which Abiomed was acquired by Johnson & Johnson for $16.6B.
“Well, I think that the campaign has had a message that it’s time for a new kind of governor. And so since I’m not part of the establishment, I’m coming in with a blueprint as a leader. So first of all, people want a leader that has integrity, common sense and compassion. And they want to elect somebody that has a blueprint to bring accountability, affordability, opportunity, and will keep our community safe. And so that’s really my platform.
“And on the accountability, the audit that 72% of the voters acted for is something I was able to get involved in as a concerned citizen, and that needs to be done. And so that’s something around transparency and holding the one-party system accountable, and as a business person, as the only person who’s run and built the company, as a public company CEO for 19 years, I got audited every three months by an outside agency. That’s the accountability we need.”
Minogue brings a unique set of qualifications to the table, which are essential to his campaign message, and its resonance with Bay State voters.
“I’m not a political establishment person, the other two are. I also have the most experience from West Point to being a combat veteran, to running a business for 19 years, to also having several entrepreneurial private businesses and also being a leader in the nonprofit world around education, helping veterans, helping healthcare. So I bring a skill set…it’s more about my qualifications, less about policy.
“But again, people want someone to come in who will solve problems, doesn’t worry about the next election. And so I’ve got the most energy. I have more cash on hand, in fact, two X the cash on hand than the incumbent Governor Healey. And I am going to stop the overspending, the overtaxing and the overregulating because as a business person, I know how to do that.”
Massachusetts has long been dominated by the Democratic Party, except when it comes to the governor’s office. In fact, five of the last six governors prior to Maura Healey were Republicans.
Nonetheless, the GOP nominee will face a challenge in a state in which only 8% of registered voters are Republicans.
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“So I think what people don’t understand and why I’m gonna be the next governor is Massachusetts is not a blue state or a red state. In fact, we have low percentages for both parties, but people here have principles. More people say they’re conservative as well than the numbers of the Republican party, but people also want common sense. We’re a gritty group of people. We started the revolution. We endured in order to drive the British out of. Out of Boston in 1776. And that culture is still here. And I love that about it.”
Minogue argues that Healey’s energy and fiscal policies have left the state, and its business community, in a precarious position.
“I think the biggest issue with Governor Healey is two things. One is a failure to be a leader. She hasn’t stepped forward and driven the audit of the legislature that we voted for. In fact, she’s avoiding it. The second thing is she hasn’t solved the energy problem. She doesn’t invest in innovation. She keeps investing more and more tax dollars in the green energy, wind and solar. And after two decades and over a billion dollars in tax money, we get less than 6% of our energy in Massachusetts from wind and solar.
“Meanwhile, we get 20% of our energy from the nuclear energy facility in Seabrook, New Hampshire that we don’t subsidize. And we have natural gas in America. We’re blessed with it. The pipelines need to come from Pennsylvania or New York. That will lower our energy. That’s safe, reliable, cheaper.”
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Minogue argues that Healey does not have a plan to address the exploding state budget, which is particularly feeling the pinch from skyrocketing health care costs.
“So first thing is the overall budget, 63 [billion]. Then I would drill in to the health care budget, which is 54% of our budget, it’s around 34 billion. I’ve been in all the hospitals, I’m an expert in healthcare, it’s what I’ve done for 30 years…It’s known that we are one of the top places for Medicaid, Medicare fraud. We know our SNAP benefits and food stamps have massive fraud. Every time our US attorney or state auditor looks at it, they find millions to tens of millions of savings. And we have to understand how this is impacting all the other businesses. Because if you drive health care costs up and you have waste and fraud, and the health care for entrepreneurs and for individuals is one of the most expensive in the nation and energy is one the most expensive in the nation, people leave. That’s why we got to do math.”
In a state in which 65% of the electorate is registered as “unenrolled,” Minogue is cognizant of the need to appeal to independents and Democrats.
“I will work with anyone to solve problems. I don’t care if it’s blue, red or independent. It doesn’t matter to me. But as the governor, there’s some things you can do. So on day one, you can declare that one third of the energy bills, the climate utility tax is gone. So that’s gonna help quality of life immediately. Number two is, I can bring in gas pipelines and I can bring in nuclear energy by talking to companies and I will do that. The third is, I can opt into the federal scholarship tax credit, which immediately will be providing educational grants to about 80% of the parents that have kids. It gives them a choice on how they educate their kids.”
“We need a leader who loves the people more than they hate the other party. And that’s what I will do. I will solve problems. We are not political enemies. We are neighbors, and we just need to help people and understand that the goal is to make Massachusetts the best place to live, work, and raise a family, like I’ve had the blessing to do.”
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