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Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling spoke to media as he made an appearance at a Republican Party office in Salem, NH.

So whatever happened to the Curt Schilling-for-Senate campaign?

Though Senator Elizabeth Warren wont be seeking reelection until 2018, it isn't too early for the GOP to begin to worry about finding an opponent. And early indications are that the powers that be in the state party arent wild about their options.

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Their quandary doesnt come as a surprise. The GOPs numbers are tiny in both chambers of the Legislature. With the exception of Scott Brown, they havent elected a member of Congress since the Clinton administration. Governor Charlie Baker, by far the most popular Republican in the state, already has the job he wants. The bench is thin.

And it doesnt help that Warren has become a full-fledged national figure. Her already high profile got an invaluable boost last week when her attempt to quote a letter from civil rights icon Coretta Scott King on the Senate floor was shut down by the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell.

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Republicans feel pressure to wage a credible campaign against the states senior senator. They believe her bare-knuckles approach draws no small share of detractors, even amid an army of admirers. They believe giving her a race is not beyond the realm of plausibility, even if she isnt likely to lose.

Warren, who has emerged as a leading voice against President Trump, is up for re-election next year.

Theres just one small problem: The GOP needs a worthy candidate.

It isnt that there arent Republicans willing to take Warren on. Its just that they are, in various ways, problematic. Either they are too closely tied to a president who is deeply unpopular in Massachusetts, or they have tiny name recognition. Or, as in the case of the ubiquitous Schilling, they are, well, unpredictable.

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Of course, these categories arent mutually exclusive.

By conventional standards, the best candidate against Warren might be state Representative Geoffrey Diehl of Whitman. He is a favorite of party conservatives and reportedly hopes to make an issue of Warrens frequent attacks on Trump and Washington Republicans. That would figure to rally Republicans in a primary fight.

But he isnt likely to have the field to himself. Businessman Rick Green might run. In political circles, he is best known as the money behind the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, a conservative nonprofit. Green chaired John Kasichs presidential campaign in Massachusetts, which I guess makes him a moderate.

There is persistent speculation that voters havent seen the last of Gabriel Gomez, the businessman and former Navy SEAL who lost to Ed Markey in 2013. Gabs seemed like a great candidate on paper military, Latino, successful businessman but it didnt translate into real-life politics. My lasting image of Gomez is the video of him getting away from the Globes Stephanie Ebbert when she tried to ask him about his inflated claims of job creation. He seems to have become more of a moderate since his race, which could help.

The wild card in the race is Schilling. His heroics on the diamond are a matter of record, but his life off he field has hardly been senatorial. Hes been a failed businessman (just Google 38 Studios and bailout for details); a fired broadcaster; a man accused, quite understandably, of being sexist, racist, and homophobic on social media; and a guy who just a few months ago joked about lynching journalists.

You see why the GOP doesnt seem ready to coalesce around him.

The 2018 race feels a long way off, especially with events in Washington shocking the nation on a daily basis. Heaven knows, weve all seen how much can happen in politics in a surprisingly short time.

But it is impressive how quickly Warren has solidified her position in Massachusetts politics. Yes, she elicits strong passions on both ends of the political spectrum. But few will say she is likely to lose her seat. Warren is just four years into her Senate career, yet it feels like shes been there much longer.

Excerpt from:
If not Curt Schilling for US Senate, then who? - The Boston Globe