Diehl at top of polls; Doughty has $
The race to see which Republican will square off against Attorney General Maura Healey in the November general election isn’t a contest of fundraising, but if it were Geoff Diehl would be losing the race by miles.
The party nominee, Diehl’s campaign filings show his campaign’s cash on hand to start the month came in just shy of $15,000.
His opponent, Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty, held close to $883,000.
According to Diehl’s campaign manager, Amanda Orlando, the opposing team is trying to buy their way into office.
“It’s apparent that Chris Doughty’s plan is to try to buy the Governor’s Office with a mixture of his own money and money from outof-state donors,” she said.
“Chris Doughty’s own contributions account for more than 90% of the total funds his campaign has received. Meanwhile, donors from California and other states account for more than one-third of Chris Doughty’s contributions from people other than himself,” Orlando told the Herald.
Orlando isn’t entirely wrong; Doughty has indeed
been funding his own push for Beacon Hill. His campaign disclosures show he has spent over $1 million of his personal fortune on the race this year.
His campaign says they will use that money to focus on beating Healey, who they say is out of step with the people of Massachusetts.
“We are launching in the next few days radio and television commercials that will help us close the gap with Healey, who has proven to be completely tone-deaf on the pain people are feeling at the pump,” spokesperson Holly Robichaud told the Herald last week.
According to Robichaud, voters want a newcomer, not the same name they have seen on previous ballots.
Diehl is a perennial candidate at this point in his political career, most recently unsuccessful in his attempt to unseat U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
“Voters want an outsider who will make Massachusetts affordable,” she said.
Despite being a mostly self- funded campaign, theirs shows it has momentum going into the summer, she said.
“In a very short time, we have gone from behind to tied to ahead. We are the campaign with the growing momentum that can defeat Maura Healey,” she said.
Her optimism is based on a recent Umass Lowell poll that showed Doughty ahead of Diehl in matches against Healey, though neither man polled nearly well enough to beat the attorney general.
Diehl has made some moves, most recently pushing to have the mother of a man killed by a drunk illegal immigrant driver push to have a law licensing immigrants overturned, but his campaign has received criticism for not participating in enough public events. He’s never had more than $153,000 on hand, according to filings.
He has the polling on his side, if not the funding. A recent Umass Amherst poll of 1,000 residents showed 58% choosing Diehl and 18% preferring Doughty.
With 26% of respondents undecided there is plenty of room for movement, but Diehl also has former President Donald Trump’s backing to help convince unsure voters.
“Voters here understand what’s at stake, as shown by recent polling indicating that Geoff Diehl leads Chris Doughty by a 3:1 margin. Geoff Diehl is the clear choice for Massachusetts voters who are worried about the future of our state and the extreme policies Maura Healey would bring to the governor’s office if elected,” Orland told the Herald.
Healey polls 28 points ahead of either Republican.