As befits its minority status, the state’s Republican U.S. Senate primary race has received scant attention.
Kevin O’Connor, a well-known name in legal circles, and Shiva Ayyadurai, a noted scientist and entrepreneur, are vying for the right to face either Democratic incumbent Ed Markey or Congressman Joe Kennedy III in November.
During a recent conversation with the newspaper’s editors, O’Connor, a political newcomer, vowed to concentrate on making life better for the people who elected him, and not engage in polarizing politics.
A graduate of Boston College Law School and a leader in the state’s legal community for 30 years, O’Connor, 58, says he understands the real-life struggles of average residents through the many he’s represented during his successful career.
While in agreement with the president on such key issues as supporting police, the Second Amendment right of citizens to bear arms and strong border enforcement, O’Connor’s views don’t always mesh with Trump’s.
On energy and the environment, he supports federal policies that strive for sustainability, renewability, and self-reliance, as well as forging international agreements that ensure a cleaner world, though not at the expense of American interests.
In the areas of trade and foreign affairs, O’Connor insists that America must remain engaged — not isolated — on the world stage. That will allow our companies to benefit from global relationships and in so doing help remove barriers to U.S. goods and services.
He also believes U.S. foreign policy must project peace through economic and military strength, and if necessary, assist countries in eliminating terrorism before it becomes a threat to our national security.
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This is Ayyadurai’s second crack at a U.S. Senate seat. Running as an independent in 2018, he finished last, amassing less than 4% of the vote, in the three-candidate race easily won by Democrat incumbent Elizabeth Warren.
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However, there’s also a troubling side to his otherwise conservative political philosophy.
According to a recent Boston Globe article, Ayyadurai believes the Massachusetts Republican and Democratic parties have conspired in a longtime power-sharing arrangement that gives the GOP control of the governor’s office while Democrats hold sway in the Legislature.
Ayyadurai, a Trump supporter in 2016, also apparently believes Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is a Deep State operative who should be fired and indicted.
In the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Kevin O’Connor has made the more grounded case for enlisting the support of both his party and unenrolled voters on Sept. 1.
Read more via The Lowell Sun.