Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue is catching flak from his two primary challengers following a recent interview where he distanced himself from identifying with the GOP.

In an interview with WBUR, Minogue said he does not identify with a political party, despite running as a Republican candidate.

“I don’t identify with a party. I didn’t swear an oath to the Constitution at West Point to a party. I swore the Constitution to America. And so I am very focused on the things around Massachusetts, and what I just talked about as my positions,” Minogue told the outlet.

“I want people to vote for me because they think it’s in the best interest of Massachusetts, it’s the best interest for their kids, and it’s the best interest for the future. I don’t line up, and I’m going to go out and I’m going to recruit and build a base of new voters, new volunteers that are going to include independents, and it’s going to include fiscally responsible Democrats,” he said.

The campaigns for fellow Republican candidates Brian Shortsleeve and Mike Kennealy slammed Minogue for the comments in statements sent to the Herald.

“Minogue’s comments are deeply concerning, especially given that he only recently registered as a Republican and has consistently kept the party and its supporters at arm’s length,” said Kennealy Campaign Communications Director Logan Trupiano. “Mike Kennealy has spent years strengthening our party — first as the MassGOP’s finance chair and chair of its Legislative Support Fund, and now as a candidate for Governor. Kennealy was also the single largest donor to Republicans in the 2024 election cycle.”

Campaign Strategist for Brian Shortsleeve, Holly Robichaud, tells the Herald that Minogue is using the Republican Party “as a vehicle” for his political ambitions.

“Republicans cannot nominate someone to lead our party who doesn’t even identify as a Republican. In order to win elections, the Republican Party must be committed to fundamental principles of fiscal responsibility, low taxes, individual freedom and public safety, not simply a vehicle for the political ambitions of a billionaire who flipped a coin to decide what party to join,” Robichaud said.

“Brian Shortsleeve has spent decades in the trenches of the Republican Party, fighting for our candidates and our values. He knows what he believes and why he believes it and is running for governor to do something not be somebody. That is why he will win the nomination and defeat Maura Healey,” she said.

But Minogue is hitting back, criticizing Shortsleeve and Kennealy for “weaponizing fidelity to the Constitution” and doubling down on his doctrine of being loyal to the Constitution over political parties.

“I swore an oath to the Constitution at West Point not to a political party. I won’t put party politics ahead of what is best for Massachusetts or America. Only the political elite would try to turn being an outsider into a negative. I’m not a career politician. I’m a veteran, a father, a husband, a man of faith, and a businessman who solves problems,” Minogue told the Herald in a written statement. “What’s truly unimaginable is watching anyone running for office try to weaponize fidelity to the Constitution and service to our nation. I’m running as a new kind of governor because Massachusetts deserves principled leadership that works for people, not the political elite.”

It is worth noting that in the WBUR interview, Minogue also called himself “a Republican [who] supported the Republican Party” and “I align with the Republican Party on my principles.”

When it comes to past political donations, the GOP mega-donor has a long history of supporting the Republican Party, including President Trump’s 2024 campaign. But, Minogue has sent his cash across the aisle as well, most recently sending a $15,000 check to then-U.S. Rep. Ed Markey’s Senate campaign in 2013, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. That same year, he sent donations to the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee. Minogue also donated to former Democratic Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley during her 2009 bid for U.S. Senate.

Shortsleeve tops the list in the Republican gubernatorial primary for donations to Democrats. Shortsleeve, who served as the Chief Administrator and later the acting General Manager of the MBTA under former Gov. Charlie Baker, donated to Democratic Attorney General Adrea Campbell in 2021 and 2022. OCPF records show Shortsleeve donated to Democratic Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-6) in 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2024. He donated to Democratic Congressman Jake Auchincloss (MA-4) in 2020, 2021 and 2023. On the federal level, Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal also received donations to his campaign from Shortsleeve in 2021. Shortsleeve also donated to the Democratic political action committee Act Blue in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024.

As for Kennealy, who also served in the Baker Administration as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, OCPF records show a long history of donating to Republican candidates dating back to 2015. Notably, Kennealy donated to former Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley in 2023, as well as to Trump rival and former Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in 2016. There are no records showing any contributions to President Trump’s campaigns in 2016, 2020 or 2024. At a campaign event earlier this year, a video was posted to Facebook in which Kennealy stated that he “did not vote for anybody” when asked if he voted for Trump in 2024.

Minogue is also getting support from the former Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in 2018 and for governor in 2022 Geoff Diehl, who called out Kennealy and Shortsleeve on their voting history and past political donations.

“Massachusetts deserves a governor who isn’t tied up with the political elite. Brian Shortsleeve maxed out to Andrea Campbell, the most liberal attorney general in America, and poured money into one of Washington’s biggest insiders, Seth Moulton. Mike Kennealy didn’t even vote for the Republican nominee for President,” Diehl said in a statement. “Mike Minogue is the only candidate in this race who isn’t carrying water for the establishment. Mike Minogue is running to put the people of Massachusetts first.”

The three candidates will face off in the state Republican primary election in September.