Brian Shortsleeve, a enterprise capitalist and former MBTA official operating for governor as a Republican, raised greater than $417,000 final month, a hefty sum that featured 1000’s in top-dollar donations by enterprise executives from all throughout the nation, in keeping with state knowledge.
The 52-year-old Barnstable Republican touted the Could money haul as the biggest of any conservative candidate for governor, challenger, or incumbent within the first submitting interval following an announcement or declaration of candidacy.
Holly Robichaud, Shortsleeve’s political strategist, stated any Republican who hopes to defeat Gov. Maura Healey in subsequent yr’s statewide election will “need to do more than just stroke a check.”
“They will need to show broad support from people who believe in them and their message enough to open their own checkbooks to support the cause. Brian’s record-breaking fundraising from people all across the commonwealth demonstrates that he is the only candidate who can take the fight to Healey and win,” Robichaud stated in an announcement Monday.
Robichaud stated former Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, set the final fundraising file for the primary submitting interval after a candidacy announcement at $370,000 throughout his reelection marketing campaign in 2017.
Shortsleeve’s backers ranged from founders of a few of the nation’s largest firms to former elected officers in Massachusetts, in keeping with information on file with the Workplace of Marketing campaign and Political Finance.
The contributions additionally got here from a mixture of out-of-state and in-state donors, with {dollars} additionally pouring in from Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Vermont, New York, and North Carolina, state knowledge confirmed.
Shortsleeve, who launched his marketing campaign Could 12, drew $1,000 from Niraj Shah, the co-founder of Boston-based Wayfair, an e-commerce firm that focuses on furnishings and residential items.
Ernie Boch Jr., the native, politically energetic billionaire who runs Subaru of New England, additionally handed Shortsleeve $1,000 final month, as did Ray Washburne, the Dallas, Texas-based board chairman of the gasoline firm Sunoco, in keeping with state knowledge.
Scott Brown, the previous U.S. senator for Massachusetts who’s stated to be contemplating operating for workplace in New Hampshire, donated $1,000 to Shortsleeve, in keeping with state information.
Former Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey, who served with former Gov. Mitt Romney, additionally gave Shortsleeve $1,000, state knowledge exhibits.
Brian Dowling, a senior reporter masking Boston courts at Law360 and former Herald reporter, additionally donated $1,000 to Shortsleeve, in keeping with marketing campaign finance information.
Robichaud, Shortsleeve’s strategist, stated the marketing campaign refunded a single $1,000 donation, bringing the overall haul from final to $416,000 earlier than bills.
Fundraising knowledge for Mike Kennealy, a Lexington Republican and former cupboard secretary below Baker, was not instantly out there Monday, however a spokesperson for the gubernatorial hopeful slammed Shortsleeve’s numbers.
“No amount of money Brian Shortsleeve raises can erase his failures at the MBTA—or recover the millions wasted on a rail deal with the Chinese Communist Party and an utterly botched Green Line Extension,” the spokesperson, Logan Trupiano, stated in an announcement.
Healey, who introduced plans to run for reelection earlier this yr, raised not less than $244,000 in Could, in keeping with particular person deposit studies posted to the state’s marketing campaign finance web site. However her money consumption from final month may change when her workforce recordsdata a closing report for the month.
