LINDSTROM HAS PROVEN HERSELF
There’s a lot for women voters to like about Beth Lindstrom. Especially those frustrated with Massachusetts’ one-party rule.
The powerful GOP strategist, who has advised the state’s most popular Republicans over the past three decades, is now a candidate herself, taking on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
It’s clearly an uphill battle against a powerful Massachusetts Democrat with a national profile but Lindstrom just may prove to be a formidable foe for the former Harvard professor.
Lindstrom’s resume speaks for itself. She vehemently opposes the politics of divisiveness that has plagued the national political dialogue and is a viable option for women who lean right but are tired of the old boys’ network.
A mom of three boys, she’s also unafraid to take on President Trump.
“I agree with the president on a bunch of things, like tax reform, fixing illegal immigration and reducing regulations, but I am not going to defend him on these sexual harassment allegations,” Lindstrom said Friday at the Herald.
“The difference, he has a point, (is) they were made before he was elected, but if these go forward and there’s some civil process here then he’s not above the law,” Lindstrom said.
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand was among those calling for Trump to step down last week. Trump unloaded his wrath on Twitter, writing that Gillibrand was “someone who would come to my office ‘begging’ for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them).’ ” It was yet another boorish comment from the president that many women — including me — considered sexist and inappropriate.
“I don’t like any of this namecalling,” Lindstrom said, “I don’t like any of this tweeting.”
Lindstrom is mild-mannered and likable. Her kill-them-with-kindness attitude stands in stark contrast to Warren, whose more aggressive style has made her a go-to pit bull for the Democratic Party nationally. It’s too early to tell if Lindstrom’s more measured approach will resonate here, but a WBUR poll last month found voters favored Warren over Lindstrom, 56 to 33 percent.
“I am a reasonable and rational person and I have a different tone and different temperament,” Lindstrom said. “Once people get to know me, I think I will make great headway into the female voter base.”
She’s got quite a personal story to tell and I think a lot of voters, regardless of gender, will be intrigued by her as a candidate. Her oldest son has borderline Asperger’s syndrome, her middle son has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and her youngest son is dyslexic.
She’s a small-business owner who runs a salon and day spa in her hometown of Groton.
She was executive director of the Massachusetts State Lottery as well as director of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation under former Gov. Mitt Romney.
And she’s proven she can operate at the highest level in politics. She was a senior adviser to Romney, as well as fellow GOP heavyhitters Gov. Bill Weld, Gov. Paul Cellucci, former state Treasurer Joseph Malone, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Gov. Charlie Baker. She’s also got two top Republican strategists running her campaign: former Romney/Brown adviser Eric Fehrnstrom and Gail Gitcho, a former Romney/Brown spokeswoman who was also the national press secretary for the Republican National Committee.
“I’m a mother. I’m a small-business owner. I have sons and I have gone through a lot with them,” she said. “I have gone through a lot that a lot of women have gone through in their families with some of those struggles. I can relate. Over time, as people get to know me, I think they’ll like me.”
Lindstrom made the decision to run after a close friend died at age 53 last spring.
“I said, ‘We don’t know what tomorrow brings,’ ” Lindstrom recalled of the experience. “So I’m challenging myself — big time.”
She teared up a bit and recalled her husband’s advice.
“It’s your turn at bat. If you didn’t take this chance, you’d regret it,” she says he told her. “So if you’re going to swing a bat, swing a really big bat.”
If she’s the Republican nominee in September, Lindstrom said she’d be the first-ever Republican woman to run for U.S. Senate in Massachusetts. Lindstrom wants more women leaders in boardrooms and companies and called for a “zero-tolerance” policy for sexual harassment.
“There’s not a lot of people who would step forward into this race and I have because I’m confident of my background,” she said. “I’m confident I can make a difference.”
Time will tell if Lindstrom can get the GOP nomination and defeat one of the country’s most powerful female leaders. But in today’s polarizing and unpredictable political climate, a strong, successful woman with a moderate streak like Lindstrom just could catch on.