Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan lost his Republican primary bid to compete in a special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry.
Michael Sullivan
Businessman and former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez defeated Sullivan and state Rep. Daniel Winslow. He will face Rep. Edward Markey in the election on June 25.
“Who would have thought 10 weeks ago that we’d even get on the ballot? Who would have thought 10 weeks ago that we’d make all these friends?” Sullivan told supporters during his concession speech Tuesday night. “I feel bad for all the hard work that everyone has put in. But this is the process. It’s about giving people a choice, and unfortunately we didn’t get enough votes.”
Earlier in the race, Sullivan lead in polls, even attracting support from Republican Party insiders who had worked on former Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign.
He frequently expressed views on hot-button issues including gun control and immigration.
A former acting head of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Sullivan said he would have voted against the proposal to expand background checks for gun sales.
In reference to the Boston Marathon bombing, Sullivan said the U.S. Attorney’s office should begin the process to revoke 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s U.S. citizenship.
