Where is Geoff Diehl when you need him?
WHO?
Geoff Diehl, the conservative Republican gubernatorial candidate who was easily defeated by progressive Democrat Maura Healey in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
In fact, it was a brawl. It was so bad that Diehl, a Trump supporter, deserved a courage award for even showing up.
In that race, Healey, then Attorney General, received 1,584,403 votes, or 63.7%, while Diehl received 859,343 votes, or 34.5%.
In 2018, Diehl, a former state representative from Whitman, ran against Senator Elizabeth Warren and lost by about the same margin.
So why mention him?
Because he is the only Republican with national standing – however weakened that may be – with whom one can talk about Healey and a one-party state that is completely controlled by Democrats from top to bottom.
And with things spiraling out of control under Healey’s leadership – from illegal immigration to hospital closures and legislative failures to wind turbine crashes – there’s a lot to talk about.
“All in all, Massachusetts is in a difficult situation and there seems to be no vision coming from the governor’s office on Beacon Hill,” said Diehl, one of the few Republicans with political experience and experience in the state House.
Diehl criticized Healey’s statement that she could do nothing about the closure of Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer. “She’s the governor. She can do a lot,” Diehl said.
“Unfortunately, it seems that there are few Republicans in office in Massachusetts who are willing to risk their seats to oppose radical, progressive efforts to undermine American ideals and the economy,” he said.
Republican leaders have disappeared.
Even moderate Republican businessman Chris Doherty, who ran unsuccessfully against Diehl in the 2022 primary, has left the state.
And forget former Republican Governor Charlie Baker, a staunch Democrat whom Healey succeeded when Baker declined to seek a third term.
By not supporting Diehl, Baker was in effect supporting Healey anyway. Baker, who is now president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), is therefore keeping quiet.
All positions in the State House are held by Democrats, who also control both branches of the legislature.
Healey is lucky, though. Although there is a dispute between the state’s three top Democratic politicians – Healey, Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker of the House Ron Mariano – neither of the two top politicians has criticized the governor.
Spilka, the Iron Lady of the Senate, and Mariano leave Healey alone but attack each other, as they have done in the final days of the current legislative session.
All this means that, aside from a lover’s quarrel with the Boston Globe over immigration, Healey is rarely held accountable for anything and is given free rein.
In the past, there have been one or two Republicans who have hinted that they would run against Healey in 2026 if she were still in office and not a member of President Kamala Harris’ cabinet.
But there are no Republicans who could pose a threat to Healey, and Diehl has little interest in running again.
If Healey is challenged or even unseated in the next election, the challenge will most likely come in a primary election from a fellow Democratic Party member.
Who could this challenger be?
It could be that it is Democrat Dianna DiZoglio, the state’s fiery comptroller, who is making more noise on Beacon Hill in the name of transparency and accountability than anyone else, including Healey.
DiZoglio has earned respect and popularity (outside the state House of Representatives, of course) for championing the vote on the legislative audit power.
Now, among other investigations, she has launched an audit to examine Healey’s less than transparent spending on the state’s overburdened immigrant housing system, which costs taxpayers more than $1 billion annually.
Not that she’s running for governor, mind you, she’s just doing her job. Yes.
Peter Lucas is a veteran political reporter. Email him at [email protected]
