Mass. GOP Gov’s Candidate Chooses Openly Gay Running Mate

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: Need more evidence that Republicans aren't putting social issues front-and-center in 2010?

The frontrunner in the Republican gubernatorial primary in Massachusetts today announced that he's chosen a veteran state lawmaker who is openly gay to serve as his running mate.

Charles D. Baker, the former chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and the leading Republican gubernatorial candidate, announced on his Website that he's chosen state Sen. Richard Tisei as his running mate.

Tisei, 47, told The Boston Globe last week that he is gay. He's been in the state legislature since he was 22, and while he didn't hide his sexual orientation, he hadn't spoken publicly about it until last week, when his name emerged as one of the finalists Baker was considering for lieutenant governor.

Baker is running against Christy Mihos, a wealthy businessman who ran for governor as an independent in 2006, for the GOP nomination.

Republicans would love to win the corner office in Massachusetts, one of the nation's most Democratic states — and one that is now led by a close ally of President Obama, Deval Patrick, who is running for a second term next year.

Tisei actually isn't the first GOP lieutenant governor's candidate to be openly gay. Then-Gov. Jane Swift named Patrick Guerriero her running mate in 2002, but that ticket quickly fizzled when Mitt Romney jumped into the race with his own running mate. Guerriero went on to head the Log Cabin Republicans.