No go for Ogo

The news this week that Jim Ogonowski's campaign had fallen short of the required number of signatures came as a major disappointment to many of us who were so pleased to anticipate two viable GOP candidates in the running to unseat Senator John Kerry in November. Losing a campaign is always difficult, but a worse heartbreak is having another democratic incumbent go unopposed. Now, failing a long-shot write-in campaign by Ogonowski, it is left to Jeff Beatty to take on Kerry who is running for a fifth term. make no mistake about it, this is an uphill slog. Kerry is well-organized, well-financed and well-loved by a multitude of Massachusetts liberals. At the same time, if we are to inject any semblance of a discussion of the issues and offer an alternative to the blue-state status quo, we need viable candidates. While Jim Ogonowski had impressed many with his strong showing against Nicki Tsongas in the special congressional election, this stumble by him and his organization to fulfill one of the basic tasks of a campaign leaves us wondering if Ogo is ready for prime time.

There is some feeling within the party that Ogo might re-tool for another run at Tsongas. Given his strength in the Massachusetts Fifth Congressional District, this might be a much more achievable goal for Jim and his team. At the same time, this begs a more far-ranging discussion of ways in which the Beatty and Ogonowski camps might cooperate to help this move forward along with a revitalization of the Mass GOP. For an excellent discussion of this issue, see The Red Mass Group's posting by The Angelic One, including the lengthy add-on discussion.

A hat tip to the RMG site for fully airing this development and its implications for the Mass GOP.