Area Republicans Join for Lincoln Dinner

Above, Attleboro City Councilor Jonathan Tavares shared his strategy for electoral success Monday night at the Rome restaurant.

Area Republicans convened Monday evening at the Rome restaurant to celebrate the 215th birthday of the nation’s first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, and to share ideas and inspirations for attracting support with the state’s huge block of unenrolled voters. And they noted the party’s role in ending slavery, fighting Jim Crow, and passing the Voting Rights Act as part of a long-term commitment to being the “opportunity party” for all.

Both Republican State Rep. Mike Soter (Bellingham), and Attleboro City Councilor Jonathan Tavares reminded attendees that “all politics are local” and that many issues concerning voters in Massachusetts align with the state GOP’s priorities and concerns.

Soter also stressed that the state’s voters are an unusual mix that can be hard to poll and hard to gauge, but the unenrolled, he noted, are often fiscally conservative and are looking for alternatives to the spendthrift policies of recent years.

And winning takes hard work.

Tavares recounted how what he said was $400,000 in out-of-state funding helped propel Attleboro Democrat Mayor Paul Heroux into the job of Bristol County Sheriff in 2022. But the subsequent political reshuffling in Attleboro provided Tavares with an opening. And after an intense, 10-week campaign of door knocking, he secured a seat on the city council with more than 60 percent of the vote.

Also in attendance, Governor’s Council candidate Francis Crimmins, a retired district court judge from Stoughton, explained to attendees that his candidacy was based on broad experience, his legal education, and a determination to provide a bulwark against “crazy” policies. He also cited the 2022 candidacy for Governor’s Council of Franklin’s Dashe Videira for helping inspire him to throw his hat in the ring.

Finally, a ringing farewell was delivered to State Committeewoman Patricia Saint Aubin, a Norfolk resident, who has participated in scores of political campaigns since she was a college student and chose, this time, not to run for reelection. The Franklin Republican Chair hailed her dedication and willingness to always show up and always help, and both Soter and Tavares recalled her presence, work and help over the years in helping them launch their political careers.