Who is the real Geoff Diehl?
After announcing a primary challenge to Governor Charlie Baker, Diehl  who used to tout his role as honorary state cochair of Trumps 2016 presidential campaign  went on GBHs Greater Boston and said the 2020 presidential election was not stolen from Trump and he would have voted for the bipartisan committee to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the US Capitol. Such renouncement of the Big Lie is not so shocking in a state where Joe Biden beat Trump with 65 percent of the vote and Republicans account for only 10 percent of the electorate. But from Diehl to DeSantis, theres also a lesson in how much personal ambition can tamp down Trump fever, especially at the state level, even as politicians also try to appease the partys base. In Trump-loving Florida, DeSantis, of course, walks a much stricter political line. Fueled by his own presidential hopes, he keeps the culture wars alive. But as he faces the tragedy connected with the deadly Surfside building collapse, DeSantis has stood beside local Democrats and even said a few kind words about President Biden. In a crisis, its the right thing to do. And that was in 2012, days before the presidential election that pitted Obama against Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who was unloved by far-right conservatives. The Trump wing is much less forgiving. Advertisement  In Massachusetts, Diehls campaign is fueled by far-right conservatives who despise Baker, especially for his rejection of Trump. Yet on public television, of all places, Diehl trampled on the core beliefs of what should be his base. For good measure, he also said a Republican state committee member was wrong to say she was sickened by a gay Republican congressional candidate who has two adopted children. On Dark Red GOP, a Facebook page that follows Republican politics, some commenters questioned if Diehl can be their true standard-bearer  or if he will turn out to be just another RINO, Republican in Name Only. Advertisement  Its not unusual for politicians to tap dance around controversy for political reasons. In Virginia, Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin just got caught admitting he couldnt express his true antiabortion feelings during the campaign. When Im governor and I have a majority in the House, I can start going on offense, but as a campaign topic, sadly, that in fact wont win me independent votes that I have to get, he said on a secretly recorded video. In a state where unenrolled voters make up 57 percent of the electorate, Diehl faces similar constraints. In this case, he rejected the essence of what drives the Trump base. He didnt respond to a text or e-mail requests to talk about his somewhat confusing political history. As reported by the Globe in 2018, Diehl first registered to vote in 1996 as a Democrat, and in the 2006 gubernatorial primary, he voted for Democatic Attorney General Tom Reilly. In that years general election, he said he chose Republican Kerry Healey over Democrat Deval Patrick. In 2008, he cast a vote for Joe Biden over Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in the states Democratic presidential primary, but said he voted for Republican John McCain in the general election. He ran for a Massachusetts House seat as a Republican and served from 2011 to 2019. Advertisement  As a state representative from Whitman, Diehl endorsed Trump ahead of the Massachusetts primary and was a local media contact for Trump during the July 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. When he challenged US Senator Elizabeth Warren in 2018, Diehl continued to embrace Trump. Indeed, when questions were raised about the extent of his 2016 support for Trump, he doubled down. On election day, Warren won with 60 percent of the vote. Loyalty to Trump got him nowhere then. Joan Vennochi can be reached at joan.vennochi@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @joan_vennochi.