GOP Delegates Qualify Guv Hopefuls Diehl, and Wrentham's Doughty

Above, Norfolk GOP State  Committeewoman, Patricia Saint Aubin, reads off voting tallies at the Springfield  GOP Convention.

On Saturday, Republican delegates to their convention in Springfield, including a contingent from Franklin, qualified both of their candidates for Massachusetts governor - Geoff Diehl and Chris Doughty - for the September primary ballot, and gave Diehl the party's endorsement in the race.

Delegates also gave enough support to both Leah Cole Allen and Kate Campanale, the two GOP lieutenant governor candidates, to ensure them ballot access.

Diehl and Allen, both former state representatives, are running as a ticket, and were favored by party insiders at the convention. While he has lost races for state Senate and U.S. Senate, Diehl described himself to delegates as the "worst nightmare" for Democrats this election cycle.

Doughty, a Wrentham businessman, has paired his candidacy with Campanale, a former representative. They each secured the support of around 30 percent of delegates, overcoming a requirement that they secure at least 15 percent,  that could have ended their candidacies.

Cautioning against a possible "single-party state," Doughty said liberals are already celebrating that possibility. He promised to "fix our schools" and "stand up to support our police" and to aid people who are facing difficult fiscal decisions due to soaring inflation.

"We do not need a governor who just talks about jobs. We need a governor who has actually created jobs," Doughty said, calling for a "zero-based" state budget that he said will force a reevaluation of government spending to cut out waste.

Taunton Mayor Shaunna O'Connell, a former Republican state representative, said she knows what it takes for Republicans to win and believes in Doughty, who she said has "most importantly ... a path to victory."

Three other Republicans running statewide this year were nominated by acclamation since they faced no opposition.

State auditor nominee Anthony Amore was nominated by 2020 Republican Senate nominee Kevin O'Connor.

Secretary of State nominee Rayla Campbell said she looked forward to serving as "Madame Secretary," if elected, and called for in-person voting, requiring voters to present identification, and hand-counting ballots.

Jay McMahon, the party nominee for attorney general and a candidate for that office in 2018, criticized movements to "defund the police" and predicted the efforts, if successful, would lead to people being placed into holding queues when calling local police departments for help.

Franklin  Democrats head off to their party's convention in Worcester on June 3 and 4.