NORTHAMPTON — Republican gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl made several campaign stops in Hampshire County on Thursday, touring a city farm, joining voters for meals at local restaurants and expressing his support for law enforcement officers.
The daylong swing was part of the campaign’s “Berkshires to Boston” effort, a 14-stop tour of the commonwealth that will bring Diehl, a former state representative from Whitman, to Bristol County next week.
A schedule provided by Diehl’s campaign showed a morning stop at Johnny’s Roadside Diner in Hadley, followed by a tour of Amherst and lunch at Formosa Chinese Restaurant, then a “look back with Geoff at 300 days” of campaigning, which was held at the Hadley Young Men’s Club.
“I had eight years of serving in the Legislature. I had three towns I represented,” Diehl said, referring to Abington, East Bridgewater and Whitman. “I always thought the best ideas that I proposed up on Beacon Hill usually came from the people in the district. They’re the ones who, when the rubber meets the road, know what the state needs to do.”
The Massachusetts co-chair for former president Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, Diehl ran unsuccessfully against Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2018.
Trump has endorsed Diehl for governor over his opponent for the GOP nomination, Wrentham businessman Chris Doughty. Incumbent Republican Gov. Charlie Baker is not seeking reelection.
Diehl made three stops in Northampton in the afternoon, where he was joined by Republican congressional candidate Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette, a Shrewsbury resident running against U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester.
First, Diehl took a brief walk down the Norwottuck Rail Trail off Damon Road, admiring the Connecticut River with his dog Lucy, then he went to the Northampton Police Department and introduced himself to a handful of police officers. Finally, Diehl toured Milestone Farm at 180 Fair St. Ext.
Amid a national political argument over law enforcement funding that pits activists against police, Diehl said many police officers in Massachusetts have “an embattled mentality.”
“The defund movement that’s taken place around the country has found some homes here in Massachusetts, as well, and I just want to send a signal,” Diehl said. “I just want to make sure that we always stop by and let them know that we’re behind them whenever possible.”
Diehl said he is also concerned about energy policy, rising inflation and the high cost of living in Massachusetts, which he said he is pushing tens of thousands of residents to move out of the state.
The COVID-19 pandemic and shifts in education policies are causing people to “think twice” about the role of government, Diehl said, adding, “It feels like there’s been a very large overreach by both federal and state” governments. He decried the firing of state workers who violated Gov. Charlie Baker’s vaccine mandate.
“I thought that was wrong. Everybody’s health care decisions should be their own, not government’s,” he said. “So I just felt that people needed a strong voice that is going to try to re-empower the individual, whether it’s at their place of work or their family decisions over their health care … and a parent’s ability to have a voice in their curriculum in schools.”
Diehl opposes the so-called millionaire’s tax, a proposed state constitutional amendment that would add a 4% tax on annual income over $1 million and dedicate the money to education, transportation and infrastructure repairs. He said the tax could harm farmers “and make it even harder to pass on those farms to the next generation.”
Milestone Farm raises pastured pork, lamb, turkey and chicken, and owner Angela Plassman said she runs a farmstand for the benefit of the community.
“I think it’s important to provide food that people can see growing outside right here in Northampton,” Plassman, a registered independent, said.
She said Diehl’s campaign reached out to her and asked if the candidate could come for a tour, and she is willing to meet with anyone who wants to talk about farming.
“He was interested in the farming communities, which is very important, and wanted to see how things were out here, what concerns the farmers might have,” Plassman said of Thursday’s visit. “He showed a genuine interest in farming and sustainability, so I was pleased that someone from Boston” wanted to have that conversation.
Diehl, the director of business development for TRQ Auto Parts in Pepperell, is scheduled to tour Franklin County on May 12. Details of the tour are forthcoming.
Attorney General Maura Healey and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, D-Boston, are running for the Democratic nomination for governor. The party primaries are scheduled for Sept. 6.
Brian Steele can be reached at bsteele@gazettenet.com.