Tisei: I'm Not an Extremist [VIDEO]

Republican congressional candidate Richard Tisei held a "Democrats For Tisei" event at his campaign headquarters in Lynnfield Thursday and responded to Congressman John's Tierney's attack ads branding him as a partisan extremist.

Tisei openly said he opposes the Republican party platform and blasted Tierney for trying to paint him as a "Tea Party sympathizer." Tierney has released ads While Tisei says he is in line with members of the Tea Party movement on a few issues, he disagrees with them on others and is not a member of the movement himself.

"Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich would not support my candidacy," Tisei said afterward.

The Massachusetts Republican Party was set to vote on adopting the national Republican party platform

Speaking to a room full of supporters on the third floor of his headquarters building, Tisei pointed out that he refused to sign Grover Norquist's ant-tax pledge and said he believes that in addition to spending cuts the nation needs to increase revenue by closing loopholes in the tax code (which in effect would mean people paying more in taxes). He also said he would disagree with Speaker John Boehner on various issues.

"I've met the speaker and I told him right off the bat, 'we're going to agree on every issue. You know, when things come up, I'm going to look and try to do what's best for my district,'" Tisei said. "We had a very honest conversation and at the end of it he said, 'You know what, Richard? I respect you for yelling me that up front.' And I think I would ask John Tierney, who's voted 99 percent of the time with his leadership, if he's ever had that conversation with Nancy Pelosi. Because apparently he hasn't."

Maureen Flatley of Essex spoke at the event. The child protection advocate said she was excited when she moved to the district from Washington, D.C., in 2002 because she had worked with Tierney and he would now be her congressman. But, she continued, the legal drama involving his in-laws has changed her mind.

Former State Rep. Paul Casey of the Middlesex 31st District also spoke. The Winchester Democrat served in the legislature for 20 years before stepping down in 2008.

Casey said Tierney never even met with him in all of his years in office and that he was able to work with Tisei on a variety of issues. Casey spoke out against ideologues and partisan attacks and even made a joke about the Tea Party and the negative ads depicting Tisei as an extremist.

"I was fearful when I came up the stairs... I said, 'Richard I'm a little nervous about this," Casey joked. "And I just unwittingly said, "OK I'll be there but I want a cup of tea, and Richard goes 'Oh just don't mention that around here.'"