After a big no on the South Coast, Mass. GOP guv hopefuls launch their debate over debates
Two of the three Republicans running for governor in 2026 say they're ready to debate any place, any time.
Getting a face-to-face meeting on the calendar, however, is proving slightly trickier. Just ask the folks in New Bedford.
Earlier this month, Shawn Oliver, a city councilor in the South Coast city, tried to pull together a debate between GOP hopefuls Mike Kennealy, Brian Shortsleeve and Michael Minogue.
Kennealy and Shortsleeve, both former Baker administration alums, agreed. Minogue, a medical device executive, opted against participating, arguing that it was too early in the primary cycle, Oliver said in an email.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue visits Giovanni's Italian Pastry & Coffee Shop in Agawam on Wednesday afternoon. Minogue is a Republican candidate for governor of Massachusetts, known for his background as a combat veteran, former CEO of the medical technology company, Abiomed Inc. Dec. 3, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
With voters not heading to the polls until Sept. 1, Massachusetts has one of the latest intra-party contests on the 2026 calendar. Oliver said he wanted to hold the debate no later than mid-March, just a few weeks before Massachusetts Republicans gather for their statewide convention.
"This timing was intended to provide voters and convention delegates with a clearer understanding of where each candidate stands before making critical decisions at the convention," he said.
It was also about getting the increasingly purple South Coast the attention he believes it merits on the statewide stage, he said.
"Too often, this region and, in particular, our commercial fishing industry feels overlooked in statewide political conversations," Oliver said in the email. "My goal was to elevate South Coast issues and ensure they were part of the dialogue as Massachusetts voters consider the future leadership of the Commonwealth."
And if Kennealy and Shortsleeve wanted to attend, Oliver said he remains all in.
" I remain committed to ensuring that South Coast priorities, including those of our fishing industry, working families and local communities are heard as the political season continues," he said. "I will revisit the possibility of a future debate as circumstances evolve."
Shortsleeve, who helmed the MBTA under former Gov. Charlie Baker, said he'd only debate if all three candidates appeared on stage together.
That prompted some grousing from Kennealy, who dismissed it as a "calculated stance." He cited what he described as Minogue's "basement strategy," which "appears to have no end in sight."
That's a reference to the jibe President Donald Trump hurled at former President Joe Biden in 2020 as he derided the Democrat's reluctance to appear in public during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Voters deserve a debate, period. I have been leading the charge throughout this primary to get a debate on the books," Kennealy, who served as Baker's housing and economic development czar, said. "We already have a Governor who leads with absence and arrogance. We should be showing Massachusetts voters there is a better path."
Through a spokesperson, Shortsleeve dismissed the jabs from his onetime colleague.
"We have already debated Kennealy multiple times and defeated him," the spokesperson, Holly Robichaud, told MassLive. "We believe all three candidates should attend."
Minogue's convention manager, John Milligan, told MassLive that "the debate about debates is usually driven by candidates who are floundering." He called it "unfortunate but indicative of campaigns that have grown comfortable with losing in Massachusetts over the last decade."
Minogue already has "participated in a multi-candidate forum and looks forward to debates ahead," he said. "With just a few months left before the GOP convention, meeting voters is the priority. We have the largest turnouts and are focused on continuing the grassroots momentum and out-raising and out-funding them."
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