Sean Bielat Is Latest Massachusetts Republican To Announce Run For Barney Frank's Congressional Seat

ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- Another Republican has joined the race for the Massachusetts congressional seat being vacated by retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. Barney Frank.

Sean Bielat (BEE'-lat), who lost to Frank in 2010, made the announcement official Tuesday afternoon in Attleboro.

If he wins the GOP nomination, Bielat might have to face Joseph Kennedy III. The son of former U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, has formed an exploratory committee as a step toward running.

Bielat is a former U.S. Marine who lives in Norfolk.

Other announced candidates in the district that stretches from the Boston suburbs to Fall River include Republican Elizabeth Childs, a Brookline school committee member; Democrat Paul Heroux, an Attleboro businessman; and Democrat Herb Robinson, a software engineer from Newton.

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Comments

[phill273]

12:46 AM on 01/18/2012

The seat will stay Democratic. No need for the Democrats to get worried.

[franksnmail]

11:21 PM on 01/17/2012

A trained monkey could do the job as well Barney did for peanuts (or banana's) - not sure about a Dem though.... Time to get another party in - lol

[HKR07]

02:23 PM on 01/18/2012

Got your clown suit on, eh?

[franksnmail]

02:53 PM on 01/18/2012

I tried to rent one but they said u got the last :-) aloha

[dmm1047]

10:32 PM on 01/17/2012

So now Bielat is a :former" Marine? When he ran before, I seem to recall that he had been in the Marines for 10-12 years and had yet to serve a single day of combat in Iraq or Afghanistan. Now how does that happen, with many soldiers doing 2-3 tours of duty there? It's something the Dems should look into.

[imayes]

10:07 PM on 01/17/2012

Good thing they put "Congressional" in front of "Seat" in the title or else people might get the wrong idea. Just sayin'.

[obamathegreat235]

09:37 PM on 01/17/2012

Another Republican Announces Run For Barney Frank's Seat"---Heaven forbid.

[gevan]

10:13 PM on 01/17/2012

The more the merrier.

[franksnmail]

11:21 PM on 01/17/2012

in congress....

[Todd Abrams]

09:36 PM on 01/17/2012

I hope that the citizens of Mass has learned a thing or two. 2010 was a learning experience! The republicans have gone way off course from the old comprehensable republican party, you know the ones that brought opportunity to America. They have found a new leader, and their leader hates alot of things which each state has inherited through a democracy. The only thing I don't understand is our democracy worked well before Bush and Cheney changed things, so is the ways of the democrats and republicans working together and succeeding a problem? I think the tea party and republican followers have taken Bush and Cheney's demonizing attributes and are on a crash course. but with who are they on course to destroy, but themselves!

[franksnmail]

11:23 PM on 01/17/2012

The Dems that Mass has sent to the House and Senate should have been in Jail rather than our federal government. People there have less brain power that the average slug.

[HKR07]

02:22 PM on 01/18/2012

Is this you, Newt? Epic fail!

[Todd Abrams]

02:55 PM on 01/18/2012

Thats probably because of republicans transferring power, and thats not brain power! They are about to change that state around to show what a bad job Obama is doing!
You'll see!!!!!!!!!!

[Givemeliberty54]

09:21 PM on 01/17/2012

The country will be much better off with Barney Frank retired and out of congress.
His role in the housing market crash has done more to damage this economy than anythig any other single person did.

[Seattlelite]

09:41 PM on 01/17/2012

You obviously know nothing about the housing crisis do you?

[gracieallen234]

10:22 PM on 01/17/2012

Seattlelite..why don't you ellaborate on the housing crises??? I wish to know how Barney Frank couldn't understand the obvious that Freddie and Fannie were way overheated???

[Givemeliberty54]

10:23 PM on 01/17/2012

If you are trying to say that Frank has no extremely significant role in the debt of Fannie and Freddy, or legislation allowing critical conditions that lead to the crisis...

well then,....... one of us certainly does not know much about the housing crisis.

[gracieallen234]

10:06 PM on 01/17/2012

Yup Givemeliberty54....Barney Frank was in charge of overseeing Freddie and Fannie and he never saw anything wrong with it. But Geithner was in charge of the NYC Feds regulating derivatives and he never saw anything wrong with them. Now Frank smells the wind changing and people want answers...he's retiring..lol. With deep filled pockets.

[mech126]

05:15 AM on 01/18/2012

So you are just as clueless as he is, wow......

[RMorr2002]

09:09 PM on 01/17/2012

As much as I would like the Republicans to pick up another seat, it probably won't happen. If those people were dumb enough to keep re-electing Barney, they will NEVER vote for a Republican.

[JohnHopwood2]

10:40 PM on 01/17/2012

.... and that's a good thing.

[franksnmail]

11:27 PM on 01/17/2012

No - it's not - Kennedy, Franks, Kerry - all loosers that should be picking up trash instead of buying seats in congress...

[Casperboy1957]

07:59 AM on 01/18/2012

If those people were dumb enough to keep re-electin­g Barney, they will NEVER vote for a Republican­.

And yet we are to trust the fools that voted (twice) for Bush.,and Perry, and Bachmann,etc

[raker]

08:49 PM on 01/17/2012

Bielat's a know-nothing teabagger. He hasn't got a chance.