Editor’s Note: The following is the prepared text of the speech Kate Campanale, Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, delivered to delegates at the Massachusetts Republican State Convention in Springfield, Mass. on Saturday, May 21, 2022.
The statement appears below, in full.
NewBostonPost also published the text of the speech of Campanale’s GOP rival in the race for lieutenant governor, Leah Cole Allen.
Yea Thank you all for being here. Today I stand before you as a proud, lifelong, unapologetic, Republican. A Republican from Massachusetts! It isn’t easy, we all know that. You know that Frank Sinatra song — saying “If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere”?
Well let me tell you — If you can make it in Massachusetts as a Republican, THAT’S when you know you can make it anywhere!
I’ve been proudly fighting for the ideals and principles of our party for well over 15 years. Through good times and bad. I’ve never quit, and I never will!
I joined this party at the age of 18 with the simple ideals of individual liberty and personal responsibility at the forefront – Traits learned from watching my parents work selflessly to give their daughters the best life they could.
I take on these challenges because our principles are worth fighting for.
When I ran for State Representative in 2014, in a district that was made up of 55% registered Democrats, the pundits gave me a 6% chance of winning. Just 6% …
I remember thinking: “So you’re telling me I have a chance?”
In a deep blue district, we did what Republicans who want to win always do: we knocked on thousands of doors, talked to thousands of voters, and we just out worked them.
And when I got to Beacon Hill, I didn’t just vote, I found solutions. I worked with my colleagues and local police chiefs to pass language that made assault against a police officer a felony. I stood up for our rights whether it was the first or second amendment.
I did not waiver. I did not sell out.
I authored a first in the nation student loan bill that incentivized borrowers and employers to repay loans, not have them erased on the backs of taxpayers. And I worked writing bills to protect victims of domestic violence, not reward serial abusers.
Throughout my time, I traveled to middle schools, high schools, and colleges to teach civics, because we don’t actually seem to do that anymore. And I was honored to have the opportunity to travel nationally to mentor young conservative women.
As a teacher in our public schools over the last few years, I saw first-hand what our children experienced. The pandemic and the shutdowns brought on new struggles to students and parents with remote learning and social isolation. Our children, our next generation, fell behind.
We need to get back to the basics in our education system and teach our children to the highest standards to be successful in life after graduation; for whichever path they choose, inspire them, not just pass them along. And we need to be transparent in our curriculum.
The political spin during the pandemic was that teachers were heroes. Same with police, firefighters, nurses, and doctors. Heroes on the front line during the pandemic.
Until we weren’t.
Praised for our work until we questioned and didn’t fold on mandate after mandate. This is not academic to me. It is real life.
But here’s the problem, and if you remember just one thing from today – It’s this:
In order to remove mandates, hire employees back, in order to make our state affordable and fix the curriculum in our schools. In order to accomplish all the things we need to for Massachusetts, the things that are right …
WE HAVE TO WIN!
We cannot come in second and pat ourselves on the back for a good effort. There is too much at stake to repeat the mistakes of the past. I’m asking for your vote today because we have the team to win.
A Maura Healey governorship will kill our economy, empty our wallets, and ruin public safety. I am not talking for years. It will be a generational shift lasting decades. Just look at what 18 months of Biden has done.
Now think about Maura Healey as governor. It’s terrifying!
A woman who speaks of rioters in the street and says: “Yes, America is burning, but that’s how forests grow.” She is looking to burn down our state, your way of life, for her vision of a progressive utopia.
This election isn’t about sensationalism, it’s about solutions. It’s about choosing a team that can focus on the real issues, reach the voters in the middle with a conservative message. And is ready to go toe-to-toe, armed with winning experience, determination, and resources to defeat Healey.
We can elect a Republican team to the Corner office. But it is up to you and your vote. We can’t do it alone. We need your help – I need your help — to defeat Maura Healey and the extreme progressive agenda that will destroy our Commonwealth.
Today you chose which direction you want our Commonwealth to go. Whether you want to lose again, or win. I chose to win! Let’s all choose to win. And I hope you’ll join me.
Today, I humbly ask you to put your trust in me as your next lieutenant governor.
Thank you.
New to NewBostonPost? Conservative media is hard to find in Massachusetts. But you’ve found it. Now dip your toe in the water for two bucks — $2 for two months. And join the real revolution.
