Brian Shortsleeve for Massachusetts BOSTON, MA – The Brian Shortsleeve for governor campaign made the following statement today reacting to the Massachusetts Democratic Party’s new ad attacking Brian Shortsleeve as opposing abortion rights:
“Maura Healey and her allies have started their campaign with lies, but they cannot lie their way out of an affordability crisis, exploding energy costs, a housing shortage, zero job growth and thousands of people and small businesses fleeing the state. It is well-established that Brian Shortsleeve is pro-choice and supports current law.”
“We are demanding that every station and CTV platform airing this ad immediately remove it from the airwaves. The letter distributed by the Shortsleeve campaign to television stations and streaming platforms is below.”
“What this ad makes clear is that Maura Healey intends to turn the general election into a referendum on abortion rights. That strategy only works if Mike Minogue is the Republican nominee. The only path for Republicans to win the corner office is by nominating Brian Shortsleeve to take on Maura Healey.”
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May 16, 2026
Re: False and Defamatory Massachusetts Democratic Party Advertisement Concerning Brian Shortsleeve
Dear General Manager:
We write on behalf of the Brian Shortsleeve for Governor campaign regarding a television advertisement currently being aired by the Massachusetts Democratic Party that claims Mr. Shortsleeve “opposes abortion rights” among other assertions.
These claims are objectively false.
Brian Shortsleeve has repeatedly and publicly stated that he supports maintaining the legality of abortion in Massachusetts and has made clear on the record that he is not seeking to change existing Massachusetts abortion law. As recently as last week, Mr. Shortsleeve appeared on GBH’s Boston Public Radio and stated, “I am a pro-choice Republican.” A May 4, 2026 column in the Boston Globe stated that Mr. Shortsleeve, “describes himself as a supporter of abortion rights.” Further, it is Mr. Shortsleeve’s position that Massachusetts law on abortion rights should not be changed, and he would not support changes as governor. The advertisement, therefore, knowingly communicates a false statement of fact regarding Mr. Shortsleeve’s position on a central issue in the primary campaign, given Mike Minogue’s stated “pro-life” position.
Unlike candidate-sponsored advertising, third-party advertisements are not entitled to the same federal “no censorship” protections under Section 315 of the Communications Act. Accordingly, broadcasters may face liability for continuing to disseminate defamatory or knowingly false material after receiving notice of its falsity.
Your station or platform has now been placed on notice that the advertisement contains a materially false and defamatory claim. Continued airing of the advertisement despite actual knowledge of its falsity may constitute reckless disregard for the truth and expose the station or platform to legal liability under applicable defamation law.
We therefore demand that your station or platform immediately;
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Cease airing the advertisement in its current form;
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Decline any future placements containing the false claim that Mr. Shortsleeve opposes abortion rights; and
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Preserve all records relating to the advertisement, including communications with the Massachusetts Democratic Party, media buyers, substantiation materials, internal review documents, traffic logs, and airing records.
Nothing in this letter should be construed as a complete statement of the campaign’s rights, remedies, or claims, all of which are expressly reserved.
We request written confirmation by no later than Monday, May 18th at 12:00 p.m. that the advertisement has been removed from rotation pending correction of the false statements identified above.
Sincerely,
Ryan Chamberland
Campaign Manager to Brian Shortsleeve for Governor
cc: Massachusetts Democratic Party
cc: Campaign Counsel
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