Beth Lindstrom was the lone Republican vying for the nomination to challenge Senator Elizabeth Warren to accept Greater Boston’s invitation to debate on-air.
Appearing Monday for a discussion with Jim Braude, Lindstorm was quick to put distance between herself and President Donald Trump and stressed that she is not a “career politician,” which is how she described her Republican opponent Geoff Diehl.
Diehl won the state party’s endorsement at the convention in April.
Lindstrom said that Diehl and John Kingston’s refusal to debate deprived voters. “There are some big differences [between the candidates] and unfortunately voters are not being able to see that,” Lindstrom said. Following numerous emails and calls, Kingston contacted Greater Boston on Friday to say he would not participate in the debate, and state Representative Geoff Diehl's attendance said he would only attend if all three candidates take part.
Lindstrom served as former Governor Mitt Romney’s secretary of Consumer Affairs and worked as Scott Brown’s campaign manager when he ran for Senate. On the campaign trail, Lindstrom has repeatedly noted she is not a politician. On Monday, she told Braude she identifies more as mother and a small business owner.
“I’m a citizens’ activist. I’ve never voted,” she stressed. “I’m not a politician. … I’ve never been elected.”
Asked about a recent CBS News poll that found 83 percent of Republicans approve of how President Trump has handled race issues and if she’s part of that majority, Lindstrom said that after last year’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia she “distanced” herself from the president.
Lindstrom said she would support Trump’s reelection campaign if he were the party’s nominee “based on the economy.”
She added she finds common ground with the president on tax reform, North Korea and some deregulation, but takes issue with his spending, tone, temperament, and use of Twitter.
“Government doesn’t create jobs, people do,” she said. “So you have to have an environment where those jobs can be created. As former secretary of consumer affairs, you have to balance consumers against businesses."
Over the course of the discussion, Lindstrom did not mention Warren’s name once — or even make reference to her.
The state’s primary election will be on Sept. 4. The last day to register to vote before the primary is Wednesday.