Politics & Government

Tisei Makes Candidacy Official On Tuesday

Former state senate minority leader, a Lynnfield native, plans to run for Congress against John Tierney.

Richard Tisei is set to formally re-enter politics next week by announcing his congressional campaign for the Sixth District seat currently held by Democratic Congressman John Tierney. The announcement will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at the Americal Civic Center in Wakefield.

Tisei is well-known in Lynnfield as a politician and as a businessman, having served numerous terms as a state representative and senator, working his way up to senate minority leader. For the past decade, he has owned realtors.

Looking back further, Tisei is a 1981 graduate of Lynnfield High School who also attended the Center School and the Summer Street School as a youngster. He was  22 when he won his first political campaign and became a state representative. Tisei served three terms in that capacity and then went on to ten terms as a state senator - the final four years of which he was Republican leader. He was also the Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 campaign. 

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In Lynnfield, Tisei has worked at Northrup Real Estate since 1994 - and he bought the business in 2000. "It's probably the most important thing that I've done on getting a good perspective on what's happening in people's lives," said Tisei of his real estate career.

"It gives me a very good perspective on all the problems the country is facing right now," he added, citing issues like unemployment, underwater mortgages and smaller retirement nest eggs. Tisei's campaign will emphasize the importance of job creation, and the candidate criticizes the federal government for creating an unpredictable business climate with a high regulatory burden.

Find out what's happening in Lynnfieldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For his overall political views, Tisei describes himself as a Goldwater Conservative, referring to the influential late Arizona senator and former Republican presidential candidate.

"We're at a tipping point right now," said Tisei. "This is really a key moment to decide what kind of country we're going to be, and to get our problems under control." The former state lawmaker also said that while in office, his districts usually tended to lean much more Democratic.

Looking ahead, Tisei has a GOP primary race against Bill Hudak of Boxford, who ran against Tierney in 2010 and who announced his 2012 candidacy early this year.

"I understand the people of this area," said Tisei. "I can make a good case that we need change."


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