Gabrieli withdraws from talks with Reilly
Chris Gabrieli last night abruptly pulled out of talks to become Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly's running mate in the governor's race, ending the candidate's courtship of the wealthy businessman who was expected to inject millions of his own money into the campaign.
In a statement released last night, Gabrieli said he had spoken with Reilly about joining him on a ticket for the September Democratic primary. ''But those discussions, though extensive, serious and productive, never turned into a formal offer to ticket," Gabrieli said.
''I have decided not to run for Lt. Governor," Gabrieli's statement said.
At one point yesterday, aides were making plans for a news conference today to announce the partnership, but last evening, two Democratic sources said the event was put off to allow Reilly to continue mulling the decision. One Democratic source said Reilly was not ready to decide on a ticket at this point in the campaign. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the talks.
The development represented a lost opportunity for Reilly, who had hoped to gain momentum, as well as benefit from Gabrieli's policy expertise and wealth, by naming him as a lieutenant governor candidate just before Democratic activists gather in caucuses later this week. He also faces another deadline: Under Democratic Party rules, candidates who want to run statewide must submit a letter to the party chairman by tomorrow.
Four other candidates have declared they are running for lieutenant governor, but Reilly and his advisers came up with their own list including Gabrieli, Senator Mark Montigny, Democrat of New Bedford, and Representative Marie St. Fleur, Democrat of Boston. On Friday, the Globe disclosed that Reilly was in talks with Gabrieli, and Gabrieli told one confidant that he wanted to join Reilly's ticket.
Gabrieli, 45, who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2002, had flirted with running for governor this year but decided not to. He had shown no interest until last week that he would again run for lieutenant governor.
In his statement, Gabrieli stressed his efforts to extend the school day, an area that he has pursued in his role as chairman of the nonprofit Massachusetts 2020. He noted that Reilly and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick, as well as Governor Mitt Romney, have supported that concept.
''The attorney general did ask me to consider whether I could accomplish these and other important goals as part of a ticket," Gabrieli said in his statement. ''I appreciate and am flattered by his interest and, of course, wish both Tom and Deval and the well-qualified field of candidates for lieutenant governor well in the election."
Democratic strategists had hoped Gabrieli's presence on the ticket would lend Reilly a financial boost against what they expect to be a well-funded Republican candidate in the fall. Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey is seeking the GOP nomination and businessman Christy Mihos is weighing whether to run as a Republican or an Independent.
Gabrieli, who made part of his fortune as an investment banker and venture capitalist, had spent $4.8 million when he teamed up with Shannon O'Brien in the Democratic primary in 2002. The two lost to Romney and Healey in the general election. In 1998, he spent $5.8 million but placed sixth in a 10-candidate Democratic race in the Eighth Congressional District.
The negotiations over a Reilly/Gabrieli ticket came just days before Saturday's local party caucus around the state, where Patrick is expected to win a large share of the delegates to be chosen for the Democratic convention in June. The convention will endorse candidates for statewide office.
Reilly's low-key approach to wooing the Democratic rank and file has surprised party leaders. Even Reilly insiders concede that his aim is not to win the Democratic convention endorsement. He has instead concentrated for the past two years on building a large campaign war chest, which tops nearly $3.7 million, six times what Patrick has on hand in his political account.
Patrick, a newcomer to the state political scene and the first black candidate for governor, has gained considerable support among Democratic activists around the state. Patrick has just over $500,000 in his campaign account and has said he will use some of his personal funds to mount his primary campaign.
Kahlil Byrd, campaign spokesman for Patrick, said that Patrick has no intention of choosing a running mate.
Reilly's consideration of Gabrieli was already creating political backlash in some quarters. The field of declared candidates already includes Worcester Mayor Tim Murray; Deborah Goldberg, a former Brookline selectwoman whose family founded Stop & Shop supermarkets; Andrea Silbert of Harwich, cofounder of a nonprofit training center for entrepreneurs; and Sam Kelley, a Cohasset psychiatrist.
When news of a potential coupling of Reilly and Gabrieli on a ticket emerged last week, Murray confronted the attorney general in his State House office. Other Democrats also criticized the move.
Yesterday, US Representative James P. McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who is chairing Patrick's campaign and is backing Murray, ripped Reilly for considering the partnership, rather than waiting for activists and voters to choose the lieutenant governor candidate. McGovern called it a ''backroom deal."
''This is politics at its worst," McGovern said, in an interview before the talks broke down. ''People in Worcester who were with Reilly are now saying they are going to flip (to Patrick)."
