Former Peabody Rep. Joins Lt. Gov. Race As Diehl's Running Mate

DANVERS, MA — The race for the Republican nomination for the state's highest office has gone from candidate vs. candidate to ticket vs. ticket.

Two weeks after Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty said he was joining with Leicester former State Representative Karen Campanale to form a GOP ticket, former State Representative Geoff Diehl said on Monday that he is teaming up with former State Representative Leah (Cole) Allen, of Danvers, in hopes of nabbing the nomination.

"Leah and I share a strong desire to make Massachusetts a better place to live," Diehl said. "We're both committed to individual liberty and a state government that is more accountable to the people — and we've both got the experience to back that up."

Allen grew up in Lynn before moving to Peabody and becoming a licensed nurse at a North Shore nursing home. She ran for the State House in 2013 when she was 24 years old and won a special election before resigning her seat to focus on her nursing career two years later.

She became a registered nurse and moved to Danvers. For the past two years, she has worked as a nurse treating COVID-19 patients.

"The pandemic has caused me to look around and take stock," she said in her campaign announcement video. "Life isn't getting any easier and the problems I fought against as a State Rep. are worsening. This November, I am looking to make a difference once again."

According to her campaign website, she said she is running for lieutenant governor as a "wife and mother" because she is concerned "high prices and excessive government spending are taking a toll on working families across our state."

"I see a lack of accountability in government," she said. "What’s more, I am troubled that unfair, arbitrary government mandates are hurting kids in school and taking away jobs from first responders. I aim to restore Massachusetts to a path toward success and opportunity, with a focus on individual freedom."

While there is nothing that binds residents to vote for both halves of a ticket for a nomination, they have become a popular campaign tool in the state in recent years with Gov. Charlie Baker running with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito each of the past two elections.

Baker and Polito said in December that they would not be seeking respective third terms.

There have been no such public alliances on the Democratic side — at least as of yet — with Attorney General Maura Healey and State Rep. Sonia Chang-Diaz the two current gubernatorial candidates and a more crowded lieutenant governor field that includes Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, State Rep. Tami Gouveia, State Sen. Adam Hinds and State Sen. Eric Lesser.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)