John Deaton wins Republican Senate primary, will take on Elizabeth Warren in November

Marine Corps veteran and cryptocurrency advocate John Deaton won Tuesday's Republican primary for the U.S. Senate and now faces long odds to unseat Elizabeth Warren in November. Deaton defeated Quincy City Council President Ian Cain and Bob Antonellis, a strong backer of former President Trump.

Deaton, 56, moved to Massachusetts from Rhode Island last winter and has campaigned on behalf of the working class, promising to "fight corruption and restore common sense in Washington."

"I grew up in real poverty, in a dangerous, violent neighborhood," Deaton said in a campaign video about his childhood in Highland Park, Michigan. "I got beat up, but I fought back. My motto became 'No fear and never give up.' "

In the video, Deaton said he was raised by a single mother who depended on welfare and food stamps "and worked as many jobs as she could to put food on the table." He said he was the first in his family to graduate from high school and said he "fought addiction, cancer and mountains of debt."

A graduate of Eastern Michigan University, Deaton attended Boston’s New England School of Law and enlisted in the U.S. Marines. He went on to start his own law firm in Rhode Island, where he represented survivors of mesothelioma and asbestos poisoning.

More recently, Deaton became involved in litigation on behalf of the emerging cryptocurrency industry. But he makes little mention of that in his campaign, instead presenting himself as a champion of working families, promising to fight corruption and "take on the drug and insurance companies for better and more accessible health insurance."

"Elizabeth Warren promised to be a champion for those in need," Deaton said in his campaign video. "Instead, she gives lectures and gets nothing done for Massachusetts."

Calling himself "a moderate, centrist Republican," Deaton supports term-limits and said he will "fight to secure our borders and restore common sense in Washington, D.C."

He called out "the failed policies of career politicians," including Warren, for the trouble at the U.S. border, and said Massachusetts is being overwhelmed by "undocumented immigrants and fentanyl."

Deaton now faces what can only be called a long-shot challenge to defeat Warren in the general election. The Democratic incumbent has millions of dollars in her campaign account and is running in a state where Republicans have been hard-pressed to win statewide since Charlie Baker won his last race for governor more than four years ago.

"Senator Warren is taking nothing for granted," a Warren campaign spokesperson said. "She has a strong record of delivering for working families and continues to fight hard for the people of Massachusetts.”

Warren still enjoys strong support among Democrats, and received a huge ovation at the recent Democratic National Convention that moved the normally steely senator to tears.

Among the issues that divide Warren and Deaton is cryptocurrency. While Deaton has been a backer of the booming but still controversial industry, Warren has pushed for tougher regulations, highlighting the national security threat posed by not properly regulating cryptocurrencies.

"The crypto market must have strong protections so we do not increase the money-making opportunities for Iran and other adversaries," Warren said at a congressional hearing last spring.

Six years ago, Warren easily beat back a challenge by Geoff Diehl, an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump, crushing the Republican from Whitman by 24 points. Since then, the state GOP has rebounded somewhat under the chairmanship of Amy Carnevale, paying off debt and winning a pair of legislative races. But it's far from clear that Deaton will be able to mount a competitive statewide challenge against Warren.