The Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District

The Republican primary in the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District has three candidates–Elizabeth Childs, Sean Bielat, and David Steinhof. The Democrat primary candidates are Rachael Brown, Joseph Kennedy III, and Herb Robinson. Of the six candidates, Joseph Kennedy III is the only one who has raised over a million dollars.

Meanwhile, back to the Republican primary. Holly Robichaud posted an article at the Boston Herald today about the voting history of Elizabeth Childs. According to the article in the Herald, Ms. Childs did not join the Republican party until eleven days before filing the paperwork to begin her run as a candidate. Ms. Childs has been endorsed by former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and ex-Massachusetts Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Nassour,

When Ms. Childs spoke at the local Republican Town Committee, she described herself as a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. She also mentioned that she supported federal funding of abortion. That is not the position of a fiscal conservative.

I am a former Democrat. I voted for George McGovern in 1972. It is obvious that my politics have changed over the years. The contrast between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had a lot to do with that change. Ms. Childs does not seem to have any explanation for her sudden political transformation or the timing of that transformation. That seems to be a problem with Republican voters in the Massachusetts Fourth.

Sean Bielat seems to be leading in the primary, but both Sean Bielat and David Steinhof have ideas that are much more in keeping with traditional Republican views.

 

Enhanced by Zemanta

Massachusetts 4th Congressional District

I just listened to the Talk1200 debate between Elizabeth Childs, Sean Bielat, and David Steinhof, the Republican primary candidates for the Massachusetts 4th District Congressional seat. My overall impression of the debate was that David Steinhof was the diplomat of the three and Elizabeth Childs was a bit snippy with Sean Bielat.

The thrust of Ms. Child’s answers was that she is a fiscal conservative and social liberal. She sees her ability to work across the aisle as the reason she should be elected. During the course of the debate, it was mentioned that her approval of federal funding for abortion does not really support her claim of being a fiscal conservative.

Sean Bielat cited his resume of military and business experience as the reason he should be elected. He supports basic Tea Party values–lower taxes and smaller government, and pointed out that government subsidies kill the free market dynamic and cost both consumers and producers money. He also pointed out that he supports the idea of a flat tax, but realizes that changing our tax program to a flat tax will not be instant, but needs to be done over a period of time.

David Steinhof is a Fall River dentist who is new to the political scene. He is a conservative who supports Tea Party values and is experienced in running a small business and dealing with government regulations. He was very diplomatic in the way he handled the back and forth between the other two candidates, and I actually think he would be able to reach across the aisle without compromising his principles.

Dr. Steinhof is the only candidate who has lived in the district his entire life and been a Republican all his life. He is also the least experienced of the candidates. That being said, he is a good candidate.

Any one of these candidates would wage a good campaign against Joe Kennedy, and any one of these candidates would be a good Congressman.