FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 20, 2026

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Vincent Errichetti

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Press@johndeatonforsenate.com

BOSTON — Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton was profiled by Boston Globe Editorial Board member Kara Bettis Carvalho, who wrote that a closely divided Senate would give Deaton "enormous voting power to wield on behalf of Massachusetts."

"And if Democrats win the Senate? Well, the Republican president will still be in power for at least the next two years, and it could help the state to have an interlocutor with the White House," Carvalho adds.

Deaton made the case to Carvalho that Maine's Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins has delivered for her home state by occupying the same lane.

"In many ways, Deaton does fit into the [Scott] Brown and Charlie Baker mold that moderate Republicanism has found successful in Massachusetts. He’s prochoice and supports gay marriage, yet he also wants to deregulate the energy and housing markets and supports border security. A Detroit-area native, he fits well into the Massachusetts ethos as a veteran and cancer survivor who’s a bit rough around the edges but is compassionate toward the most vulnerable. During the debate, he seemed teary during his opener talking about hungry children, as he recalls being one," Carvalho continues.

Full article below:

Why John Deaton thinks you should vote for a Republican

The GOP Senate candidate is trying to turn what could be his biggest electoral liability — the R next to his name — into an asset.

BOSTON GLOBE

By Kara Bettis Carvalho

10/20/26

John Deaton has a theory about why Massachusetts voters should send him to the Senate, despite a Republican affiliation that makes him anathema to many of them. It might seem a little far-fetched. But hear him out.

If Republicans retain control of the Senate in the midterm elections, it’s likely to be by a slim margin. And if Deaton is part of a 50-seat GOP caucus, it potentially gives him enormous voting power to wield on behalf of Massachusetts.

“You have a chance to send a nonpartisan person like me [to Washington] who will really put America first and decide, ‘Is it good for Massachusetts and America?’” Deaton said during his recent and sole debate against his opponent, incumbent Senator Edward Markey. “And if it is, I’ll support it.”

And if Democrats win the Senate? Well, the Republican president will still be in power for at least the next two years, and it could help the state to have an interlocutor with the White House.

It’s an idea that Deaton, 59, is pitching in an attempt to turn what might be his biggest liability into an asset in his uphill battle against 80-year-old Markey. Not surprisingly in deep blue Massachusetts, Markey has made Deaton’s party ID the centerpiece of the campaign against him.

“Mr. Deaton is the elephant in the room. He’s going to be another vote for Donald Trump down on the floor in the United States Senate,” Markey said during the debate. “He will be the key vote giving the majority to the Republicans to keep their monopoly in the House, Senate, and presidency.”

Never mind that Deaton says he has never voted for Trump and proffers a strong antiestablishment sentiment; he carries the scarlet “R” next to his name.

But it’s being the elephant in the room that Deaton, a former Marine and attorney who once challenged Senator Elizabeth Warren, sees as the reason he needs to be in this Senate seat.

“Ed Markey thinks [me being the key vote] is the reason to not vote for me, but that’s the most important and best reason to vote for me,” he told me. “It would really give Massachusetts a voice. In a divided Senate, the votes are so close.”

The Senate is currently balanced 53 to 47 for Republicans, but polls suggest Republicans may lose some ground in the midterms. Republicans would still control the chamber in the result of a 50-50 tie.

There is some precedent for the role Deaton wants to play — Senator Susan Collins makes much the same case as a Republican in Maine, arguing that she’s been able to deliver for the state by occupying the Senate’s center.

Deaton acknowledges what he’s up against in a state that hasn’t sent a Republican to Congress since Scott Brown won Ted Kennedy’s seat in 2010. “I’m not delusional,” he told me. “I am very curious.”

Curious, that is, about how many people who are tired of one-party rule will turn out to vote for him over Markey, and whether his pragmatic case that Massachusetts will benefit from having representation from both parties will gain traction.

In many ways, Deaton does fit into the Brown and Charlie Baker mold that moderate Republicanism has found successful in Massachusetts. He’s prochoice and supports gay marriage, yet he also wants to deregulate the energy and housing markets and supports border security.

A Detroit-area native, he fits well into the Massachusetts ethos as a veteran and cancer survivor who’s a bit rough around the edges but is compassionate toward the most vulnerable. During the debate, he seemed teary during his opener talking about hungry children, as he recalls being one.

He points to Republicans and Democrats senators who don’t always vote along party lines, such as Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, or John Fetterman. Plus, he argues, he’ll work with the next president on Massachusetts’ terms, while he says Markey will simply refuse to work with Republicans.

If Deaton wins, he says his first priority would be to fight to lower health care costs. Republicans haven’t offered a legitimate alternative to the Affordable Care Act, he argues. He also wants to break up the big three pharmacy benefit managers that act as middlemen between drug companies, insurers, and pharmacies (the three PBMs are owned by CVS Health, The Cigna Group, and UnitedHealth Group).

He would also fight to decrease energy costs by bringing back nuclear power to Massachusetts. He pointed out that when Markey, a longtime foe of nuclear energy, was chair of the Environment and Public Works subcommittee, he was one of two votes in 2024 against the bill that cleared the way for nuclear supply nationwide.

Deaton may be right that Markey’s political careerism and 53 years in office is making him increasingly complacent. Spouting about the Green New Deal and “Medicare for all” or refusing to work with the current administration might win him votes, but amounts to political posturing, not creating tangible change.

Deaton’s bet is that if Massachusetts truly prides itself on progress, then voters should consider a candidate who might actually get things done in a divided Washington.

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