Geoff Diehl, a pro-Trump Republican, hopes to ride red wave into Mass. governor’s office

Republican Geoff Diehl has charted an unlikely path to the governor's office in Massachusetts.

The former state representative is running as a pro-Trump candidate in a state so blue that residents voted against the former president by a 2-1 margin. Twice.

Diehl's last attempt to win statewide office did not go much better. In 2018, he challenged Sen. Elizabeth Warren and lost by a wide margin. But Diehl pledged not to give up his quest for higher office.

After the race was called, Diehl told supporters: “I am a firm believer that when God shuts a door, he opens a window somewhere, so together we're going to find that window."

Now Diehl thinks he has found that window. He has Donald Trump's endorsement again. Charlie Baker, the popular Republican governor, declined to seek a third term, creating an open race. And polls show Diehl has a big lead over businessman Chris Doughty in the GOP primary in September. The winner will face off against Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat, who is widely considered the front runner in the governor's race.