Geoff Diehl
American politician (born 1969)
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Geoffrey G. Diehl (born April 23, 1969) is an American politician from Massachusetts. A Republican, he represented the 7th Plymouth district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.[1]
April 23, 1969
Geoff Diehl | |
|---|---|
| |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 7th Plymouth district | |
| In office January 5, 2011 – January 2, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Allen McCarthy |
| Succeeded by | Alyson Sullivan-Almeida |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Geoffrey G. Diehl April 23, 1969 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Party | Republican (2009–present) |
| Spouse | KathyJo Boss |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Lehigh University (BA) |
Diehl was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2018 and for governor of Massachusetts in 2022, losing both elections in landslides to Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Maura Healey, respectively.[2]
Early life and education
Geoff Diehl was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He attended Lake Forest Academy and graduated from Lehigh University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government and Urban Studies (double major).
Career
After graduating, Diehl moved to New York City and worked in advertising. He later worked in television production in Los Angeles, California. In 2001, he moved to his wife's hometown of Whitman, Massachusetts, where he worked as a business development executive in the sign industry.
Massachusetts House of Representatives
2010 election
Diehl began his campaign to represent the 7th Plymouth District on February 22, 2010. Diehl received support from previous representatives from the same district, including Andrew Card, Michael Sullivan, Ned Kirby, and Ronald Whitney. Diehl also received the endorsement of U.S. senator Scott Brown.[3]
On November 2, 2010, he upset incumbent Allen McCarthy and was sworn in on January 5, 2011.
He was a member of the Joint Committee on Ways & Means, Housing, Transportation, Global Warming and Climate Change, Personnel & Administration, and Rules.
2014 Tank the Gas Tax Movement
Geoff Diehl was a lead supporter of the successful ballot question campaign to repeal the Massachusetts gas tax indexing law in 2014.[4]
2018 U.S. Senate election
In April 2017, Diehl announced his intent to challenge Elizabeth Warren for her U.S. Senate seat.[5][6] In the Republican primary election held on September 4, 2018, Diehl finished first in a field of three candidates.[7] The incumbent, Elizabeth Warren, defeated Diehl by 24 percentage points.[8][9]
2022 Gubernatorial campaign
On July 4, 2021, Geoff Diehl announced he was running for governor of Massachusetts. In October 2021, Donald Trump endorsed Geoff Diehl for governor.[10] He was Massachusetts state co-chair of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and a Trump delegate to the 2016 Republican National Convention.[11] Diehl also supported Jim Lyons, the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party, who in January 2021 was reelected to the party chairmanship after defeating a challenge from Shawn Dooley.[12]
As a candidate, Diehl criticized federal and state mandates[13] put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic and continuously supported workers and first responders being fired for not taking the vaccine. He is a proponent of parents who want to decide for their children whether or not they would like a vaccine.[14]
At the state party convention on May 21, Diehl was officially endorsed by the Massachusetts Republican Party with 71% of the delegates' votes.[15] He won the Republican nomination on September 6. On November 8, Attorney General of Massachusetts and Democratic nominee Maura Healey defeated Diehl in the general election.[16]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Geoff Diehl | 8,553 | 51.24 | |
| Democratic | Allen McCarthy (incumbent) | 8,132 | 48.72 | |
| Write-in | 6 | 0.04 | ||
| Total votes | 16,691 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Geoff Diehl (incumbent) | 10,942 | 54.2 | |
| Democratic | Robert L. Toomey, Jr. | 9,232 | 45.7 | |
| Write-in | 25 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 20,199 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Geoff Diehl (incumbent) | 11,528 | 99.2 | |
| Write-in | 92 | 0.8 | ||
| Total votes | 11,620 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael Brady | 14,397 | 56.9 | |
| Republican | Geoff Diehl | 10,245 | 40.5 | |
| Independent | Anna Raduc | 649 | 2.6 | |
| Write-in | 10 | 0.0 | ||
| Total votes | 25,301 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Geoff Diehl (Incumbent) | 17,088 | 99.2 | |
| Write-in | 144 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 17,232 | 100.0 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Geoff Diehl | 144,043 | 55.2 | |
| Republican | John Kingston | 69,636 | 26.7 | |
| Republican | Beth Lindstrom | 46,693 | 17.9% | |
| Write-in | 798 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 261,170 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Elizabeth Warren (incumbent) | 1,633,371 | 60.34 | |
| Republican | Geoff Diehl | 979,210 | 36.17 | |
| Independent | Shiva Ayyadurai | 91,710 | 3.39 | |
| Write-in | 2,799 | 0.10 | ||
| Total votes | 2,707,090 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Geoff Diehl | 149,800 | 55.3 | |
| Republican | Chris Doughty | 120,418 | 44.4 | |
| Write-in | 769 | 0.3 | ||
| Total votes | 270,987 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Maura Healey | 1,584,403 | 63.74 | |
| Republican | Geoff Diehl | 859,343 | 34.57 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Reed | 39,244 | 1.58 | |
| Write-in | 2,806 | 0.11 | ||
| Total votes | 2,485,796 | 100.00 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
Personal life
Before he entered politics, Diehl was a member of the Whitman Finance Committee. He remains a member of the MetroSouth Chamber of Commerce and South Shore Chamber of Commerce. Diehl is also an Eagle Scout. Diehl and his wife, KathyJo, have two daughters. They live in Whitman, Massachusetts.[26]