Ray Shamie

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Raymond Shamie (1921–1999) was an American politician from the state of Massachusetts. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was twice a Massachusetts Republican nominee for the US Senate, and served as the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party from 1987 to 1991.

In 1982, Shamie, a millionaire businessman and metalwork entrepreneur, challenged longtime incumbent Senator Ted Kennedy. In a Democratic-leaning election cycle, Shamie received a respectable 38 percent of the vote against Kennedy's 61. In 1984, he announced that he would challenge Senator Paul Tsongas for re-election; however, Tsongas, who had been diagnosed with lymphoma, refused to run for re-election. Shamie won the Republican primary for the now-open seat, upsetting former US Attorney General Elliot Richardson. In the general election, he faced off against Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor John F. Kerry. Though President Ronald Reagan carried Massachusetts in his 49-state landslide over Democrat Walter Mondale, Shamie lost the Senate race to Kerry, 55–45.

After his second bid for the Senate, he became the chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party. He served in that capacity until 1991. He is credited with helping Republican William Weld win the governorship in 1990. The Republican Party has held on to that office from 1990-2006 when it was lost by Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healy.