Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District

Today’s Attleboro Sun Chronicle reported the results of the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District primary.

These are the numbers as reported by the Sun Chronicle:

U.S. House – District 4 – Dem Primary
September 07, 2012 – 09:41AM ET
Massachusetts – 215 of 220 Precincts Reporting – 98%

Name                         Party       Votes       Vote %
Kennedy , Joe            Dem      35,318        90%
Brown , Rachel          Dem        2,411          6%
Robinson , Herb         Dem        1,314          3%

U.S. House – District 4 – GOP Primary
September 07, 2012 – 01:38AM ET
Massachusetts – 207 of 220 Precincts Reporting – 94%

Name                        Party        Votes       Vote %
Bielat , Sean              GOP      13,844        73%
Childs , Elizabeth      GOP       2,594        14%
Steinhof , David         GOP       2,530        13%

There are a few things we can learn from these numbers. About 39,000 people voted in the Democrat primary, about 19,000 people voted in the Republican primary. That alone means that Sean Bielat has a difficult job ahead of him in order to win the election. It can be done, but it will be difficult. Also, notice that the Democrats opposing Joe Kennedy got a total of 9% of the votes; the Republicans opposing Sean Bielat got almost 30% of the vote. Evidently the Kennedy name still has value in an election despite all the scandals connected to it.

I don’t know how many independent voters there are in the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District. I suspect that Sean Bielat is hoping that there are a lot of them. In order for Sean Bielat to win, he needs the independent voters and the voters who are tired of the status quo represented by Joe Kennedy. Admittedly Joe Kennedy is a fresh candidate, but his ideas represent the Democrat establishment. If the voters look around and decide that the Democrat establishment (and the Republican establishment) does not work, Sean Bielat can win.

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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.

 

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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.

The Race For The Fourth Congressional District

There will be a Republican Primary for the nomination in the Fourth Congressional District in Massachusetts. The two major candidates are Elizabeth Childs (I wrote about her on May 16) and Sean Bielat. I had the pleasure of meeting Sean Bielat tonight at Fitzy’s Pub in Plainville. The Republican Primary will take place on September 18, 2012.

Sean Bielat‘s website is SeanForCongress.com. Sean is well qualified to serve in the House of Representatives–his educational background includes a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Georgetown University. Sean currently serves as an officer in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.

Sean’s carreer highlights are listed on his website:

Major, U.S Marine Corps Reserve

Independent Consultant. Helped client companies build market strategies

Program Manager, iRobot Corporation. Led $100 million, 100 person business line providing life-saving defense robots used to destroy roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan

Chairman, NATO Industrial Armaments Group. Led an international team studying the potential for use of advanced reconnaissance technology in urban warfare

Management Consultant, McKinsey & Company

Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps (active duty)

Both candidates for the Republican nomination are well-educated, smart, articulate people. I am impressed by the quality of the candidates the Republican party is fielding across the state. The main difference that I see between the candidates is on social issues, and if you understand that social issues impact fiscal issues, saying you are a fiscal conservative and a social moderate makes no sense. I support Sean Bielat because I believe he understands the linkage between social and fiscal issues. Just in case you have forgotten, the name of this website is rightwinggranny. I am a conservative and will tend to work for and support the more conservative candidate. However, I will support the winner of the Republican primary in the race against Joseph Kennedy III.

 

 

 

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