Ahead of the GOP primary, meet the candidates hoping to challenge Elizabeth Warren

Either Robert Antonellis, Ian Cain, or John Deaton will claim victory in the Republican primary on Sept. 3.

Which Republican will challenge incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Warren in November? That’s the question that will be answered on Sept. 3, when engineer Robert Antonellis, Quincy City Council President Ian Cain, and lawyer and cryptocurrency advocate John Deaton face off in the Republican primary. Warren is running unopposed on the Democratic ticket.

Warren, a high-profile progressive who was elected in 2013 and made a run at the White House in 2020, remains very popular in Massachusetts. This summer, she worked as a notable surrogate for the Biden and Harris campaigns, taking a particular interest in Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance. Warren targeted the embattled Steward Health Care and private equity’s role in the drama surrounding that company. She boycotted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to congress, and sought to highlight the conditions at a correctional facility where people are detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Any Republican hoping to unseat Warren has their work cut out for them. Geoff Diehl emerged from another three-person primary in 2018 before eventually losing to Warren 60% to 36%. Six years later, and in the wake of a disastrous 2022 election cycle, the Massachusetts Republican Party is attempting to rebuild itself under the more moderate leadership of Chair Amy Carnevale.

Antonellis, Cain, and Deaton participated in a candidate forum in early August and a debate hosted by WBZ later in the month. Boston.com contacted each candidate to learn more about how each one views themselves, the state, and the country.

Skip to answers from Robert Antonellis, Ian Cain, or John Deaton by clicking each candidate’s name. Note that responses have been presented as submitted by the candidates with minimal editing.

Robert Antonellis

What is the single most pressing issue facing Massachusetts residents today, in your opinion?

Border security and the massive influx of “illegal aliens” into Massachusetts. They are here by invitation from Gov. Healy and the Biden/Harris Administration, including Elizabeth Warren, and have created a disaster which is expected to bankrupt our great state.

Over 2,000 people per week are fleeing Massachusetts, so our tax base is in free fall, just when we are being burdened with these enormous new financial commitments. These “illegals” are given carte blanche rights to free housing, free food, free education and healthcare. And all come at the expense of Veterans, American children, people in need.

We need to secure the border, and follow the America First plan to end all Sanctuary State and Cities, and begin the Mass Deportation plans for “illegals” being discussed in some circles.

What makes you unique as a candidate? What do you offer voters that your opponents cannot?

I am the only Trump supporter on the ballot and can unite the Republican Party in MA around conservative principles. These are how to beat Warren.

Border, Crime, Inflation, Fentanyl deaths, are issues which touch everyone’s life. All bear the fingerprints of Elizabeth Warren due to her collusion with the Biden White House. Warren is also very exposed on social issues which are so unpopular, including the theft of parental right, her support of “Gender affirming care,” which is code for transgendering the youth. She supports endless wars, and even fails constantly to support the state of Israel, the final bastion of Western Civilization in the Middle East.

What are your thoughts on the current state of politics in the Senate and what is your plan for building consensus and passing legislation in Washington?

The Senate is a somewhat dysfunctionality body, like the House, which has not been able to pass a budget for far too long.

By replacing the polarizing figure of Elizabeth Warren, one of the most liberal in the U.S. Senate, whose policies have caused a border collapse, high fuel costs and high food costs, crime that is out of control, endless wars, and even safe fentanyl injection sites, I would do the opposite.

I am running on America First, and will vote for Trump, in contrast to my two opponents. I will fight for Trump’s America First plan, which creates consensus in the Senate, since voters in every state would benefit.

A return to the four years where Trump was president and the America where we all benefited, is the country that Americans want to live in.

I will fight to Make America, and Massachusetts, Great Again.

Visit Robert Antonellis’s website.

Ian Cain

What is the single most pressing issue facing Massachusetts residents today, in your opinion?

Our open southern border and the migrant crisis it has caused in Massachusetts is absolutely the most pressing issue facing Massachusetts. It is hurting our economy, our safety, our housing affordability and our leaders are doing nothing to fix the problem. Their policies have allowed it to get this out of hand, and we must fix it from the national level.

What makes you unique as a candidate? What do you offer voters that your opponents cannot?

I represent a new generation of leadership. I am focused on the future, and how we innovate to fix our problems. I’m tired of stale, self serving politicians. We need leaders that will get s—t done.

Oddly enough, I am also the only person in the entire race born and raised in Massachusetts, and the only Republican who has experience legislating and passing policy. I don’t want to hand our state to another political grifter — whether John Deaton or Elizabeth Warren. We need someone who will actually work FOR the people of the Commonwealth.

What are your thoughts on the current state of politics in the Senate and what is your plan for building consensus and passing legislation in Washington?

The current state of politics in Washington is embarrassing. People are more concerned with their own celebrity and shouting at the clouds than actually legislating. This isn’t about being a Republican or a Democrat, it is about serving the people of Massachusetts.

I have experience legislating and working with those who might not agree with you towards a solution. Leadership is not about having an ego. Elizabeth Warren spends more time complaining than actually trying to solve problems. That is what I want to change.

Visit Ian Cain’s website.

John Deaton

What is the single most pressing issue facing Massachusetts residents today, in your opinion?

Massachusetts is ground zero for the multiple crises this country faces. The migrant crisis is bankrupting this state. The cost of living, buying a home, renting an apartment, and price of goods is driving the working and middle class out of the economy. We have an opioid crisis tearing apart families and ruining lives. The biggest crisis of all, however, is a crisis of leadership.

Senator Elizabeth Warren fuels division to hold onto power. In the 12 years she’s served in the Senate, she has passed one bill as primary sponsor. That record is unacceptable and proves her inability to do her job in Washington on behalf of working families in Massachusetts.

As I’ve been campaigning around the state and speaking with voters, they all note that Senator Warren never visits their communities or answers any of their calls for help. Senator Warren has turned her back on this state in favor of promoting her own political celebrity, which is why they’re ready to elect a new U.S. Senator on November 5th.

Editor’s note: According to congressional records and many public statements, Warren has been primary sponsor for numerous other bills that were passed or enacted as parts of other bills or in some other form.

What makes you unique as a candidate? What do you offer voters that your opponents cannot?

My life experience allows me to understand the struggles of working and middle class families and gives me a unique perspective of how to work in Congress to fight for our residents.

If you know my story, you know that I am the living embodiment of the American Dream. I grew up in extreme poverty in one of the most dangerous cities in America. My family survived on food stamps, and I was the first to graduate high school and college. When I graduated from New England Law School, I served in the U.S. Marines. I decided to run for the Senate because I see that American Dream dying. I have never been more concerned by the direction of this country than I am now, and it’s because of out-of-touch senators like Elizabeth Warren.

When you look at the U.S. Senate, you don’t see anyone who looks like me. I will fight for working and middle-class families because I understand their fears and their struggles. It wasn’t too long ago that I couldn’t pay my own bills, and unlike these out-of-touch politicians, I will work to pass legislation that helps them, not special interest groups.

What are your thoughts on the current state of politics in the Senate and what is your plan for building consensus and passing legislation in Washington?

Because of hyper-partisan politicians like Senator Elizabeth Warren, Washington is broken, and it’s breaking great states like Massachusetts. Senator Warren is more concerned with special interest groups and elevating her national profile than working across the aisle on behalf of the taxpayers of Massachusetts. She voted against the bipartisan border bill despite Massachusetts lawmakers pleading for federal assistance. She failed to advocate for Massachusetts infrastructure when former Governor Charlie Baker asked for funding to replace our two Cape Cod bridges because he is a Republican. Senator Warren will only work to advance a far-left agenda and has proven she’s incapable of working with others.

If elected, I will have one test: Is it good for Massachusetts and is it good for America? I am a commonsense, nonpartisan politician who values and upholds the oath to the U.S. Constitution I took as a Marine, and I will do so again when I am our next U.S. Senator.

One of the first bills I plan to introduce in Congress is to implement term limits for lawmakers. Politicians like Senator Warren are too focused on keeping their jobs – I want to go to Washington and actually do the job.

Visit John Deaton’s website.