Massachusetts’ gubernatorial election is in 2026. Anne Brensley, a candidate for lieutenant governor recently had death threats sent to her and it highlights the importance of being able to self-defend.
Anne Brensley is currently running as a GOP candidate in the lieutenant governor race in Massachusetts. As of this time, she’s the only candidate running in that race and has recently ramped up her campaign by sending out both emails and text messages to prospective constituents. Brensley, a lawyer who is currently serving as a selectwoman in the town of Wayland, received shocking text messages in response to her political advertisements.
In an interview with Brensley, she discussed the importance of the Second Amendment and how it’s a civil right. While she’s been serving as a selectwoman for the last two-and-a-half years, this race is Brensley’s first foray into state-level politics.
“I would say my real relationship to (the Second Amendment) comes down to just it being a right,” Brensley said. “Early on, when we were forming as a country, we understood it was essential. And for me, a lot of the definition of the Second Amendment right comes down to your right to protect yourself, your right to protect your family, your right to protect your community.”
Brensley said that the Second Amendment is probably one of the most important rights that Americans have. “It needs to be preserved at that level — that constitutional level, that any other freedom (would have) — of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, …” she added. “I think the average individual in Massachusetts can say, ‘Hey, protection is needed sometimes when you're feeling threatened,’ and that's something that I think we can all come together with.”
The importance of being able to self-defend and how “essential” it really is came into sharp focus to Brensley just over this last weekend. She confided that her campaign started to send out text messages about her running in the race and in response to one of those messages were two troubling and threatening messages.
“All republican trumpers and sex pervs should be euthanized,” was one of those messages. The other: “A good republican is one that’s dead..”
“From a personal level, here's the kind of stuff that I'm going to expect — that I receive sometimes,” Brensley said. “Am I going to feel that it's ‘okay’ just because I expect it? Absolutely not. Am I going to feel more connected to my right to protect myself when I get that? Absolutely.
“You know, Massachusetts is a very, very, very blue state, and because of that, when you're talking about gun ownership, I think it's higher than people think it is. And I think they're hiding what they have because they don't want to express that.”
The messages came from a 508 area code, which is a Massachusetts-based number.
The Massachusetts gubernatorial election is scheduled for November 3, 2026 and the primary will be sometime in September. After the primary election, the lieutenant governor candidates in Massachusetts are added to their respective party’s ticket along with the candidate for governor. The heir apparent running on the democratic ticket would be incumbent Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.
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