Mystery man

Maybe Gabriel Gomez is planning to use milk cartons to advertise his candidacy for the Republican US Senate nomination.

The Cohasset businessman appears to be have identity problems in his so far stealthy campaign for the seat being vacated by John Kerry. The Globe reports the one-time Navy Seal asked Deval Patrick to name him to the temporary seat, something that would have prevented him from running in the first place.

The only face and voice of the campaign, spokesman Lenny Alcivar, offered this:

"Gabriel is not a politician. Like many independent minded people, he believed the Governor had an opportunity to reach across the aisle and appoint a new face to help address our crushing debt, and to represent all the people of Massachusetts. So he had the guts to ask him."

All well and good, except for the fact Gomez, who clearly is showing his political inexperience, is asking for support from a Republican Party that is almost equally torn between moderates and hard-core conservative activists unhappy about the alleged moderation of Scott Brown.

As an unknown who has offered only two web videos and shunned any public presence, Gomez is allowing others to define him. And those definitions won't be helpful -- assuming he even manages the 10,000 certified signatures necessary to get on the ballot.

Eric Haskell, chairman of the Hingham Republican Town Committee, who has decided to support [State Rep. Dan] Winslow, said any of the candidates would be welcome to introduce themselves to his group. He has not heard from Gomez’s campaign.

“I have to say, I don’t really know anything about Gabriel Gomez and what he stands for, except what I’ve seen in the ­media,” said Haskell. “Frankly, it has surprised me because in a short time frame, low-turnout election like this, it’s important not to waste any time. It’s impor­tant to be aggressive about getting your name and your message out there.”

 Ironically, Democrats like long-time campaign strategist Tad Devine are more sympathetic:

“It’s very different even from what he’s done with his life, whether in high finance or military,” Devine said of Gomez, who is not a client. “Even knowing your own position on ­issues. Maybe you haven’t thought a lot about the ramifications of the meaning of ­parental consent as it pertains to the issue of abortion of a young girl victim of incest. It gets very complicated very quickly.”

It's hard to argue wanting to have your ducks in a row before embarking on a political campaign. But coming on top of previous reports that Gomez has supported Barack Obama financially (and attacked him politically) it would appear Gomez has to figure out who he is before he presents himself to the public.

But his Zero Dark 30 moment will soon arrive.