Politics & Government

Tisei Not Running in Special Senate Election

He had been considering a run after former Sen. Scott Brown declined to enter the race.

Former Massachusetts Senate minority leader Richard Tisei announced that he will not run after all in the special Senate election to fill the seat vacated by John Kerry.

On Friday, after former Sen. Scott Brown announced that he won't run for the seat, all eyes turned to Tisei, who announced he was considering running.

But on Saturday, Tisei put a stop to that, citing bad timing and a desire to see others have a shot at the seat.

Find out what's happening in Peabodywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I've been humbled by so many people who've urged me to run for this seat, following Senator Scott Brown's decision not to run on Friday," Tisei wrote in a statement Saturday night. "I believe it's imperative that the Republican party put forward a strong candidate who can help bring much-needed change to Washington."

"Unfortunately, the timing is simply not right for me to do so -- deeply as I feel about the need to strongly compete in this election," he said.

Find out what's happening in Peabodywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tisei added that he wanted to make his decision as quickly as possible to let others jump into the race if they want to, and he indicated that he would like to see new faces step up and run for office.

"We have many talented people from all walks of life who should get involved in the political system to bring about change," Tisei wrote. "The political class ought not be a select few. That's part of the reason that we're in such a mess and that our political system has become dysfunctional."

Tisei, who served in the legislature for 26 years, ran as Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker's running mate in 2010. Baker lost in that election to incumbent Gov. Deval Patrick.

Tisei then ran for Congress in the Massachusetts 6th District race against Democratic incumbent Congressman John Tierney in 2012. Tierney won that election after a heated campaign in which Tisei gathered strong support throughout the district -- the race was ultimately decided by less than one percentage point.

Tisei hasn't ruled out a future run for office and seems to want to stick around in one way or another.

"Whether as a candidate or concerned citizen, I will continue to be involved with other men and women of integrity who share my desire for real reforms," he wrote.

Two Democrats have already announced their run for the Senate seat: who represents the 5th Congressional District, along with who represents the 8th Congressional District. 

The primary election is set for April 30, and the general election will be held on June 25.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here