Minogue, a political newcomer, claims GOP endorsement for Mass. governor at convention

Michael Minogue, a wealthy former biotechnology executive, claimed a key endorsement Saturday night at the Massachusetts Republican Party convention, trouncing two other candidates in their bid to challenge Gov. Maura Healey in the November general election.

Minogue’s nod from the party comes as local conservatives have shifted to the right of the state’s moderate string of GOP governors, from William Weld and Mitt Romney to Charlie Baker, the popular, two-term Republican who often bucked President Trump.

“I'm the only candidate and CEO that has actually built a company, sweated the details, so I will cut red tape. I know how it works,” Minogue said.

Minogue pulled in 70% of nearly 1,800 delegates who voted at the convention in Worcester. Former MBTA chief Brian Shortsleeve gained just enough support to qualify for the September primary ballot, at 15.5%. 

But Mike Kennealy, a former Baker cabinet secretary and perhaps the most moderate of the three, missed the cut at 14%, ending his Republican campaign.

The endorsement was the first test of support among conservative voters in the state ahead of September’s Republican primary election.

All three men have been looking to capture the mantle of a conservative who can take on a Legislature dominated by Democrats in a majority-blue state. Before the vote Saturday, Minogue reflected on his Catholic faith in a speech to delegates, telling a crowd of more than 1,000 that “all things are possible through God.”

He also criticized Healey for “overspending and screwing up every industry.” And he hit on other talking points familiar to conservatives nationally, including immigration, trans rights and guns.

“Illegal immigrants will not have free right to shelter or free everything that attracts more of them to Massachusetts,” he said. “And on safety, girls need safe and fair sports. And last, I will protect the Second Amendment.”

Minogue has previously called himself “pro-life” and suggested he’s in favor of alternatives to abortion.

Minogue still needs to submit 10,000 voter signatures to state officials by June 2. Shortsleeve has already done so.

In a speech before the delegates, Shortsleeve, too, took aim at Healey over affordability in the state, as well as attacking her on energy prices and immigration,

“A lot of you are wondering, how are us Republicans going to win in November? Well, my friends, let's have some straight talk,” Shortsleeve said. “First and foremost, we need a nominee who has been stress tested and vetted in public life. No surprises.”

Minogue does not have experience in government. He made a fortune selling the heart pump maker Abiomed Inc. to Johnson & Johnson and has largely self-funded his campaign. Both Minogue and Shortsleeve are veterans who served in the military.

The winner of the Republican primary in September will almost certainly  face Healey, a Democrat, in the general election. Massachusetts Democrats have their own nominating convention scheduled for May.

A spokesperson for Healey’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

In a statement ahead of the convention, Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan said the convention showed that “all three Republican candidates for Governor are in this race to serve Donald Trump, not the people of Massachusetts.”

He said Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll “are the only ticket in this race that is laser-focused on making Massachusetts more affordable by driving down the cost of healthcare, housing and energy, and they’re the only candidates willing to stand up to Trump and oppose his harmful policies.”

Minogue pitches himself as a political outsider. He’s a 59-year-old Georgia native who grew up in New Jersey and attended West Point. He earned a Bronze Star serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq and later went on to pursue an MBA at the University of Chicago.

He has yet to appear at a traditional debate and has not highlighted endorsements from local officials. Unlike his rivals, he has not yet chosen a running mate, though he has endorsed Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, Anne Brensley.

Minogue has set a record for self-financing a campaign for governor in Massachusetts. He had donated $12.5 million to his own bid as of March.

The convention was interrupted by an hours-long delay during the voting process for lieutenant governor. The stadium erupted into jeers at multiple points, as convention officials tried to verify the correct number of delegates present to vote, and later, the results.

Hundreds of delegates appear to have left the convention amid the voting ordeal — and those departures may have made a difference in the final tallies for governor.

At the convention, Minogue said he wants to repeal the state’s net-zero climate emission mandate and repeal the MBTA Communities Act, a transit-linked law that requires multi-family zoning near transit hubs in some Greater Boston communities.

Jim Lyons, the previous chair of the Massachusetts Republican Party, said he is backing Minogue.

“I think what Massachusetts needs is someone who hasn't been tied up in the process over the last 10, 20, 30 years. We need a leader. We need someone who is totally committed to what he believes in, and who is willing to go to Beacon Hill and fight for it,” said Lyons, clad in Minogue campaign gear.

Massachusetts Republicans also voted to endorse Brensley for lieutenant governor. Brensley topped the pack of candidates running for the state’s second-highest office, with 1,100 votes. Brensley and her husband recently owed tens of thousands of dollars in back federal taxes; she says they paid them after WBUR inquired about them.

Brensley criticized Healey and Driscoll, a Democrat who is also running for reelection.

“The Healey-Driscoll administration has replaced capitalism with welfare and reliance, education with political ideologies, women's rights with a weaponization of feminism, our black-lettered constitution with an autocratic interpretation of that constitution,” Brensley said before the vote.

Lieutenant governor candidates Anne Manning Martin of the Kennealy campaign and Shawn Oliver of the Shortsleeve campaign also earned enough support to qualify for the ballot.

In other races, John Deaton, a cryptocurrency attorney who ran an unsuccessful campaign against Elizabeth Warren in 2024, also won the party’s endorsement to run for U.S. Sen. Ed Markey’s seat. Markey and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton are battling for the Democratic nomination.

“One-party rule is hurting people,” Deaton said after accepting the endorsement.

Deaton secured the Massachusetts Republican State Committee’s endorsement last fall, a key moment that opened up fundraising opportunities with the state party. The endorsement at Saturday’s convention is part of the process to appear on the ballot.