Politics
Fellow candidate Brian Shortsleeve also garnered enough votes to make it on the ballot for September’s primary, while Mike Kennealy ended his campaign.
Mike Minogue candidate for governor spoke to the media briefly at the Massachusetts GOP Convention in Worcester on April, 25, 2026. Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe
At its convention Saturday, the Massachusetts Republican party overwhelmingly endorsed Mike Minogue as its candidate for governor, with 70 percent of delegates voting for the former biotech executive.
“Are you ready to get criminal illegal immigrants off our streets?” Minogue said in his speech after accepting the endorsement in Worcester. “My purpose is to help working people and families that struggle to pay their bills. Massachusetts is working for some but not all.”
Minogue, a political newcomer, is a prominent GOP- and Trump-donor who hosted Vice President J.D. Vance at a fundraiser last year. Minogue lives in Gloucester with his wife and five children and is the former CEO of medical device company Abiomed in Danvers.
With just more than 15 percent of the vote, former MBTA head Brian Shortsleeve, another candidate, narrowly garnered enough support to make it on the primary ballot, The Boston Globe reported.
“We got exactly what we came here to do. We qualified for the ballot, and we’re excited to move forward in a head-to-head race,” Shortsleeve said in a statement. “Voters are looking for someone who is serious, tested, and ready to take on Maura Healey.
Mike Kennealy, a former Baker administration official, fell short on Saturday. He officially suspended his campaign after not reaching the 15 percent threshold to appear on the primary ballot, the campaign announced on social media.
“This campaign was always about something bigger than just myself. The fight does not end until we elect Republicans across Massachusetts,” Kennealy said in a statement. “I am committed to continuing that work.”
Senate candidate John Deaton, who previously ran against Sen. Elizabeth Warren, also clinched the official GOP endorsement, as expected.
Convention ran hours behind schedule
The convention itself had some difficulties, according to reports. The schedule was running hours late, the Globe said, and more than 150 delegates left the arena in between the contested elections for lieutenant governor and governor.
Anne Brensley won the endorsement for lieutenant with more than 56 percent of the vote, more than double the next closest candidate, the Boston Herald reported.
Amy Carnevale, the chair of Mass GOP, told the Herald that there were registration issues and difficulties in directions on how to vote and where to submit votes.
“There’s different issues. In some cases, we had some ex-officio members who can register really up until day of that showed up before registering. So we had to rectify the roles,” Carnevale said as the schedule ran four hours behind schedule during the lieutenant governor election, per the Herald. “Certainly once we get to the governor’s ballot, we’ll have the list rectified and that should go a lot faster.”
Amid the delays, Minogue’s campaign opened a bar tab to cover drinks for attendees at 4:30 p.m., his campaign wrote on social media.
“DO NOT LEAVE until Mike Minogue gives his acceptance speech,” the post said.
Minogue and Shortsleeve will head to the September primary to see who will ultimately face a Democrat, Gov. Maura Healey, in November. Massachusetts Democrats host its nominating convention next month.
Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more.
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