The Republican Party in Massachusetts is a small, clubby organization, but an intrafamily feud is testing its solidarity.

Former Gov. Paul Cellucci and former state Treasurer Joseph Malone are tugging at the stitches that hold the party together by campaigning against fellow Massachusetts Republican Mitt Romney in the presidential primary.

Cellucci and Malone are supporting former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani and are trashing the gubernatorial record of Romney, saying he raised taxes.

Former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey has tried to come to Romney's defense, making for a messy situation all-around.

Now, some might claim that Romney was never really a Bay Stater, given his roots in Michigan and the disdain he voices for his adopted state on the campaign trail, but it is unusual for high profile officials to oppose a candidate from their own state. Michael Dukakis and John Kerry have not always been the most popular of figures, but when they ran for president you never heard big-name Massachusetts Democrats like Sen. Edward Kennedy bashing them.

In fact, Kennedy and Kerry reportedly have long had a cool relationship, yet Kennedy campaigned vigorously for him.

State Rep. Betty Poirier, R-North Attleboro, said she believes the GOP feud might be personal.

She said Romney upset some of the old guard from Beacon Hill when he was elected governor and brought a lot of outsiders from business into state government.

"He really started fresh and brought in some terrific people," Poirier said of Romney.

The old guard wanted Romney to hire their friends, she said.

"Malone and Cellucci all have their noses bent because he didn't go to them. It's all sour grapes. It's personal."

Political consultant Charlie Manning, however, might have had the best comeback in the dust up. He questioned Cellucci's credibility on budget matters given the staggering cost overruns under Cellucci on the Big Dig project.

"This from the man who said the Big Dig was on time and on budget," Manning cracked.

Whose children? How hot is the issue of illegal immigration among Republican primary voters?

When Sen. John McCain said at a debate this week that illegal immigrants are children of God and deserve compassion, the response among a focus group of voters monitored by Fox News showed it was the most unpopular answer of the evening.

Blacked out

When the City of Attleboro agreed to a new cable television contract with Comcast, it imposed a surcharge on customers for local programing.

Despite paying more for the service, Attleboro customers were unable to watch the traditional Thanksgiving Day football game against North Attleboro because it was not broadcast on the city cable system.

JIM HAND covers politics for The Sun Chronicle. His commentaries appear in this space on Saturdays. Contact him at 508-236-0399 or at jhand@thesunchronicle.com.