Mitt Romney shouldn’t be expecting a call from U.S. Senate candidate Geoff Diehl anytime soon. Diehl should let his latest challenger, Beth Lindstrom, go begging for that endorsement.
People close to the campaign say Romney is no longer relevant among Bay State conservatives after repeatedly slamming President Trump.
And Diehl, co-chairman of Trump’s presidential campaign in Massachusetts, is hoping national dollars will come pouring into his campaign.
Frankly, a Trump-backed candidate has a better shot at beating incumbent U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren anyway. Considering Trump despises Warren, it’s fair to assume he will inject his time and financial muscle into taking her down. Since Diehl, a Whitman state rep, worked hard for Trump in 2016, it’s possible he can cash in on that goodwill. Also, there’s plenty of Trump supporters in the state considering he pocketed more than 1 million votes here.
Anytime Trump slams Warren it is front-page news. Few voters would even care if Romney did the same.
Polls as recently as May have Warren’s favorables and unfavor- ables tied at 36 percent, suggesting she is vulnerable.
Still, it is a gamble for Diehl to turn his back on Romney’s connections and massive fundraising connections. Instead, he’s banking on his populist approach to carry him into office.
Lindstrom, well-known among party insiders, was the first female executive director of the Massachusetts Republican Party and a former Romney aide. So the state establishment may favor her.
She also served as former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown’s campaign manager during his 2010 special election victory. I doubt he’ll take her call in New Zealand, where Trump named him ambassador.
There are four Republican candidates, at last count, prepared to take on Warren. Lesser-known challengers are Shiva Ayyadurai, who claims he invented email, and businessman John Kingston.
Pundits can easily dismiss any Republican challenging Warren, the state’s liberal darling. However, Diehl does have a successful record of taking on a David vs. Goliath campaign. He famously tanked the gas tax despite being outspent by special interest groups.
The primary could be the most interesting part of the campaign if Trump backs Diehl and Romney campaigns for his former aide.
Jaclyn Cashman co-hosts “Morning Meeting” from 9 a.m. to noon on Boston Herald Radio. Follow her on Twitter @JaclynCashman.