John Deaton Quietly Donates $5,000 to the MassGOP, Plus $1,000 to Each Major Governor Candidate, Just Months Before the State Committee’s Sudden Endorsement. When in doubt follow the money!

The recent Massachusetts Republican Party endorsement of "Republican" candidate John Deaton has many local town committees and grassroots groups scratching their heads. While many State Committee members have historically not supported the candidate, especially due to his anti-Trump and pro-choice stances, many are now suddenly flipping their opinions of him.

But recent filings with the office of campagin and political finacne paint a better picture on why the sudden flip within the establisment party. According to public reports filed with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance in April, Deaton donated $5,000 to the MassGOP, along with $1,000 each to the major Republican gubernatorial candidates in October.

The Massachusetts Republican Party has been in turmoil over the last decade, facing financial problems, lawsuits, settlement hardships, and a loss of trust and relevance, but it looks like the party has just found a way to keep an already sinking ship afloat for at least the rest of the year, until the landlord of their fansy Boston office inevitably shakes the bank account for rent.

Meanwhile, John Deaton's campaign website can barely form a couple of sentences on key issues important to voters. His book, reportedly mailed to every State Committee member, Food Stamp Warrior, tells the story of Deaton’s rise from poverty to legal success. But the book leans heavily on self-mythologizing and dramatic framing, often casting Deaton as the lone hero in every struggle.

Donation Trail over the last year od John Deatons Donations

While it offers a gritty account of hardship, much of it reads more like personal branding than a balanced memoir, resulting in a fast, punchy narrative that feels exaggerated, thin on reflection, and more focused on shaping a public persona than providing genuine insight. That said, the book does make a nice decoration on the dusty bookshelves in State Committee members’ homes.

What has many activists talking, however, is the timing. Deaton’s sudden surge of donations to party leaders and big name candidates comes just months after a series of campaign finance filings showed donations flowing quietly to the party and select candidates. For a party that has been cash-strapped and internally divided, the optics are difficult to ignore. Grassroots conservatives who have spent years demanding transparency and accountability, but are now openly questioning whether the endorsement reflects genuine confidence in Deaton, or simply the financial desperation of a party clinging to whatever lifeline it can find.