A note on MA-5

Massachusetts doesn’t hold its primary for another month. Two appealing Republican candidates are running for the right to challenge incumbent Niki Tsongas in the relatively conservative Fifth Congressional District. In a good year it should be a winnable race.
Over the weekend I noted the incredible personal story of candidate Sam Meas and invited readers from the Fifth CD to convey their impressions of the race. One reader from the Fifth wrote to say that he was impressed with Meas’s personal story, but that he hadn’t previously heard of Meas or seen any evidence of his campaign. Not a good sign
One reader familiar with both candidates wrote to confirm that he found Meas to be attractive and intelligent, with a great story. But he expressed doubt that Meas could win, at least in the the general election against Tsongas. He observes that Meas’s campaign is disorganized, that Meas’s English is poor, and that he appears not to have a good idea of what is necessary to run and win campaigns.
Meas is running against Jon Golnik and two other candidates for the right to challenge Tsongas. Our reader assesses Golnik to be a more traditional candidate who can beat Tsongas in November. Golnik has an appealing personal story of his own and also has little experience in electoral politics. Golnik has posted his positions on an issues page that does not make clear his position on Obamacare.
All four candidates for the Republican nomination can be seen debating at the Shirley Republican Town Committee Candidate Forum on April 10 in videos posted here, with good written summaries provided by the poster. Consistent with the comments of our knowledgeable reader, the poster judged Golnik to be the standout among the four candidates. I urge interested readers to check out the candidates for themselves.

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