James Rappaport is a real estate developer, entrepreneur, attorney, philanthropist, and Republican politician from Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

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Political career

Rappaport's career began as a Concord

Concord, Massachusetts

Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...

 real estate developer, a successful occupation that largely enabled him to self-finance in his 1990 Senate

Massachusetts United States Senate election, 1990

The 1990 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 6, 1990. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator John Kerry was re-elected to his second term.-Candidates:* Jim Rappaport, real estate developer...

 attempt against Senator John Kerry

John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...

. Though the polls showed early on that Rappaport, a GOP start-up, had a shot at the Senator, the campaign fizzled out by November, and he ended up losing by 13%. Rappaport was then elected as the Massachusetts Republican Party

Massachusetts Republican Party

The Massachusetts Republican Party is the Massachusetts branch of the United States Republican Party. Governance of the party takes the form of a State Committee which, in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 52, consists of one man and one woman from each of the 40 Senate Districts...

 Chairman, a position he would hold from 1992 to 1997. After being rumored as a possible Lt. Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts

The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts...

 to then-Governor Jane Swift, Rappaport jumped in the Lt. Governor's race

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2002

The Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2002 was held on November 5, 2002. Businessman Mitt Romney was elected to a four-year term, to be served from January 2, 2003 until January 4, 2007. Every four years, Massachusetts holds state-wide elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney...

 in 2002, only to then be beaten by Mitt Romney

Mitt Romney

Willard Mitt Romney is an American businessman and politician. He was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination.The son of George W...

's hand-chosen running-mate, Kerry Healey

Kerry Healey

Kerry Murphy Healey was the 70th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. She served from 2003 to 2007 with Governor Mitt Romney. She was the 2006 Republican nominee for Governor of Massachusetts, losing to Democrat Deval Patrick in November 2006...

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Current activities

Mr. Rappaport remains actively involved in numerous civic and charitable organizations, including serving in a number of leadership positions for the Combined Jewish Philanthropies. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as well as the Board of Overseers of Boston's Children's Hospital.