It may defy all reason, but it seems that the Republican party may be the first political party to make an openly gay Governor—or at least Lieutenant Governor.
Moderate Republican Charlie Barker, former President and CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, has tapped his campaign chairman, openly gay Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei to be his running-mate in the Republican primaries this winter. According to the Boston Globe, while the 47 year old Tisei’s sexuality has been an open secret in Boston since the early 1990s, he only came out officially on the 19th of November, after it came to light he was front-runner among those jockeying to be Barker’s running-mate. Regardless of the revelation, Barker chose Tisei anyway, and if they win the Republican ticket together, they’ll be squaring off against Governor Deval Patrick and former Democrat, Treasurer Timothy Cahill in a three-way 2010 election.
The announcement made waves today, and the Boston Herald reports that Deval Patrick's sitting Lieutenant Governor, Timothy Murray, immediately criticized Tisei as "the ultimate Beacon Hill insider." He also criticized Baker's own record on financial gluttony, being part of the former Republican administrations that racked up galactic amounts of debt for Massachusetts taxpayers on the "Big Dig" highway tunnel project in Boston.
Cahill’s presence in the race will split the Democratic ticket, which could mean a stronger showing for a Republican in the race. Adding to the mayhem is Governor Deval Patrick’s lower approval ratings, and less than stellar popularity.
Before they get there, however, they will...Please go to Outandaboutillinois.com to continue reading Massachusetts could be getting an openly gay Lieutenant Governor.
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