Somerset Republican Town Committee hosting “Meet the Candidates” for two candidates for governor

The Somerset Republican Town Committee will be hosting two gubernatorial candidates at a “Meet the Candidates” event on Monday.

Republicans Brian Shortsleeve and Mike Kennealy will address members of the town committee but Chairwoman Jessica Machado said that due to public interest, the committee has opened the event to the public.

“We heard feedback from community members who are not members of our committee saying they wanted to attend and so we felt an obligation to give all voters a chance to learn more about Brian and Mike.”

Both Shortsleeve and Kennealy have officially launched their respective campaigns to take on Maura Healey in the 2026 election. Machado says that the recent 2024 election results showed voters in Somerset and surrounding areas are voting for conservative candidates.

“Bristol County has the largest Republican vote of any county in Massachusetts.  Somerset, Dighton, Swansea and even Fall River all voted in the majority for Trump in the 2024 election, capping off years of trending towards Republican candidates. Both John Deaton, who ran for Senate and Justin Thurber who ran and won the 5th Bristol State Representative seat won over Somerset voters.  I think Somerset voters are thoughtful with their votes and they’ve shown us they support Republican candidates.”

According to Machado, representatives from each of the campaigns reached out to her to connect with the town committee and are excited that it will be open to those who are interested.

“I had to call each camp and ask if it was okay to open this up to people outside our town committee and they were each very comfortable with the adjustment.  They want to reach as many voters as they can.  It’s an exciting time to be a Republican candidate in Massachusetts right now and there’s no better place to feel that excitement than here in Somerset.”

Over 60% of registered voters in Somerset are unenrolled in either party, something Machado says gives even more value to Republican wins in the area.

“We know Republicans are going to vote Republican and Democrats are going to vote Democrat, but when those unenrolled voters pick Republican candidates, it shows me that our candidates have the right message.  It’s a true compliment to our party and values when an independent voter picks a Republican.  I am very excited for voters to hear more from Brian and Mike.”

The Somerset Republican Town Committee will be hosting this free event on June 2 at 6:00 p.m. at the Somerset Council On Aging building, located at 115 Wood Street, Somerset. You need not be a Somerset resident to attend. 

Any questions can be directed to Machado by calling 401-585-2402 or email at: jessiecab0315@gmail.com