Republican Gabriel Gomez is running for Senate in the Massachusetts special election to fill John Kerry’s seat, the former Navy SEAL and private equity investor announced in a bilingual video Tuesday.
Gomez stresses that he’s a Navy SEAL and businessman, not a politician, and therefore will run a “very different kind of campaign.” Gomez says he wants to end the bickering and partisanship in Washington and never mentions that he is running for the Republican nomination.
Gomez had previously indicated that he was likely to run and has been gathering support from top Republicans. Shortly after his announcement, Gomez aide Lenny Alcivar released a statement from former Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey welcoming Gomez to the race. “Gabriel possesses the common sense and experience needed to guide our nation through tough decisions on the economy and foreign policy,” Healey said in the statement. “Gabriel is a regular guy who has accomplished extraordinary things. He’ll work hard to keep the American promise of opportunity open to everyone.”
Gomez’s entry into the race sets up a primary contest on the Republican side between him and state Rep. Daniel Winslow. Gomez has hired a firm to help him gather the required 10,000 signatures by Feb. 27 to get on the primary ballot.
The top candidates in the Democratic primary are U.S. Reps. Ed Markey and Stephen Lynch.
