GABRIEL GOMEZ, who ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate as a Republican in 2013, has switched his party affiliation to independent and is not ruling out a run against Sen. Elizabeth Warren this year, according to a source familiar with his thinking.
Gomez said on WCVB’s On The Record this weekend that he had switched his voter registration from Republican to independent, which voter records confirm. He said it was now “impossible” for him to support the Republican Party at the national level. Gomez previously ran against Ed Markey in a special election for John Kerry’s Senate seat in 2013, losing by 10 points. Markey will be up for reelection in 2020, which would mark another opportunity for Gomez to make a run, should be decide to pass on running this cycle.
Gomez has sharply criticized both Trump and members of his former party who have not stood up to the president. Here he is responding to a column about Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse:
Agree – he along with Flake and Corker are all talk…deeds rarely, if ever, back their words. https://t.co/OqLtw1Dg7F
— Gabriel Gomez (@GomezForMA) January 2, 2018
Gomez also called on Republicans to reject Roy Moore in last month’s Alabama Senate race, and criticized Trump’s “draft dodging deferments,” calling him a coward, and a “not tough guy.” He also opposed the GOP’s tax legislation.
Any Republican supporting the current Senate tax reform bill is abdicating their duty and responsibility to put country and people first before party. Let’s be honest, this is a massive break for the wealthy. Does little to nothing for middle class and those less fortunate.
— Gabriel Gomez (@GomezForMA) December 1, 2017
If he runs an an independent this year, Gomez would sidestep a crowded Republican primary and convention. Building enough delegates to clear the 15 percent threshold necessary to move forward would have been difficult starting at this late hour. State Rep. Geoff Diehl, businessman John Kingston, and former state GOP executive director Beth Lindstrom are all running for the Republican nomination and will be vying for delegates. Self-proclaimed inventor of email Shiva Ayyadurai dropped out the Republican race to run as an independent.
To run as an independent, Gomez would need to submit 10,000 signatures by late August, meaning he can keep his would-be opponents guessing for months yet. This deadline would mean he would have to file just before the Republican primary in September.
Having a Republican and multiple right-leaning independent challengers could have the effect of making the path to reelection easier for Warren. Warren is popular among Democrats and left-leaning independents, but has never had much appeal across party lines. With Ayyadurai already in as an independent, a Gomez candidacy would mean voters who oppose her could split among the several challengers rather than settling on one.
So-called “Navy Seal” can recite the Pledge of Allegiance – and stab his
party and the People of Massachusetts in the back at the same time.
His WIFE told him that ordinary people like us shouldn’t own guns –
so he said “Yes Dear!”
He planning to run against Baker?????
If people in Massachusetts really want to kick Warren out of office, they need to check out Shiva Ayyadurai. https://shiva4senate.com/
The other issue here is if the 19th Century political party structure is still relevant in the era of the internet. Both Gomez and Ayyadurai have left the GOP while Angus King (I-ME) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) have officially left the Dem organization. Over half of Massachusetts voters do not belong to any political party.
A political party was a necessity in the 19th Century — the statewide candidates needed local “boots on the ground” to campaign for them while partisan local elections gave newcomers the assistance of an organization. The novice candidate of today has to start as an independent, and I suspect increasingly will remain one.
Maybe Trump will realign the parties, much as FDR and Jackson did in centuries past. Or maybe parties have become obsolete — what exactly does the Republican nomination to run against Elizabeth Warren mean in 2018?
Gomez might have left the Republican Party because he no longer wants to be associated with the most unprofessional, corrupt, deceitful President and Administration in history. Do you think that might be the case, VeryOldSoldier? And how do you know what, if anything, his wife told him? I wish to submit that you’re trying to portray a brave Navy Seal (note I didn’t use quotation marks) as being some kind of wuss when, in fact, he’s a true Patriot.
You, on the other hand ….