Mass. Republican candidates for governor trade early barbs

The two conservatives running for governor of Massachusetts ramped up attacks this month on each other’s past work and credibility, including in dueling missives that paint different pictures of the race to become the Republican nominee for the state’s executive office.

The early back-and-forth between the two candidates, Lexington’s Mike Kennealy and Barnstable’s Brian Shortsleeve, sets the foundation for a tense battle ahead of next year’s Republican primary contest to decide who faces Gov. Maura Healey in the general election.

In a message to supporters Monday, campaign aides to Kennealy said the former housing and economic development secretary under Republican Gov. Charlie Baker had a “strong start to fundraising” after only two months on the campaign trail.

Kennealy’s campaign also lashed out at Shortsleeve, a venture capitalist and former MBTA official under Baker, for his time at the troubled transit agency.

“Shortsleeve’s central campaign message — and only Massachusetts government experience — is that he turned around the MBTA. If this is an example of his turnaround work, his campaign is in big trouble,” a copy of the message obtained by the Herald said. “Shortsleeve lauds his work in procuring new Red Line cars that are hundreds of millions of dollars over budget, years late, and defective.”

Baker tapped Shortsleeve to serve as chief administrator of the MBTA in 2015 after the agency collapsed under relentless snowstorms that year.

Shortsleeve has touted his work expanding a contract with a Chinese-owned company to deliver new Orange and Red Line Cars and has taken credit for advancing the Green Line Extension project after delays and overspending.

The contract for train cars has since faced many delays. The Green Line Extension experienced a major setback in 2023 when agency officials disclosed the brand-new tracks were narrow and defective and that they had known about the issues as far back as 2021, when Baker was in office.

But Shortsleeve, who launched his bid for governor in mid-May, has accused Kennealy of running an “unsustainable” campaign rife with financial problems.

In a memo sent June 6 that was obtained by the Herald earlier this month, Shortsleeve’s general consultant, Jim Barnett, said the 52-year-old from Barnstable had “broad support across the Republican party.”

“Your (May fundraising) report reflects support from strong conservatives as well as donors more closely aligned with Gov. Baker’s moderation,” Barnett said. “This is a function of the respect and confidence of donors across the center-right spectrum who have witnessed your success as a job creator and government reformer, and the goodwill generated by three decades of your work to support Republicans up and down the ticket.”

Barnett also slammed Kennealy for having a cash burn rate that was “through the roof.”

Kennealy raised more than $291,000 last month, more than half of which came through a $200,000 loan he handed his campaign as part of a pledge to seed his bid for governor with $2 million.

The Lexington Republican also spent more than $114,000 during the same period and had more than $433,000 cash on hand at the end of May, according to state campaign finance data.

Kennealy’s May fundraising report, Barnett said, shows “there is dwindling low-hanging fruit for him to rely on.”

“It only gets tougher for him from here, especially as we move into the traditionally light summer fundraising months. Even if he sustains his fundraising and does not increase his monthly spend in the coming year, he will have spent three-quarters of a million dollars more than he was able to raise by the time next June rolls around,” Barnett said in the memo.

Logan Trupiano, a spokesperson for Kennealy, said the memo from Barnett is “a sorry attempt to distract from the undeniable momentum of the Kennealy campaign, and Shortsleeve’s resume failures.”

“The Kenneally campaign’s early investments, available in part because of Mike’s personal commitment, are paying off — our social media reach is 440% larger than Shortsleeve’s,” Trupiano said in a statement. “We’ve generated over 3.1 million views and impressions across all platforms.”

Kennealy’s team also hit back at Shortsleeve, who raised the most cash in May compared to Kennealy and Healey, for having multiple vulnerabilities that Democrats will hone in on.

In the message to supporters Monday, aides to Kennealy said there is “simply no path” for Shortsleeve to win because of his past work as a national finance committee member for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ failed presidential campaign.

“He will never overcome the negative associations with the MBTA … and his personal political activities that have pigeonholed him into the lane of the national Republican Party. National republicans are unelectable in Massachusetts’ general elections as any political observer can appreciate,” the message to supporters said.

Holly Robichaud, a political strategist working for Shortsleeve, said Shortsleeve is “gaining strong momentum both with fundraising and grassroots support.”

“The Kennealy campaign is in epic free fall with their lack of fundraising. Maybe it is due to Kennealy being the godfather of the MBTA Communities Act or failure to amend the right-to-shelter law. These constant attacks from Kennealy show desperation and a failure to recognize fellow Republicans are not the problem. It is Healey,” Robichaud said in a statement.