Jim Rappaport

James Rappaport (born 1956) is a real estate developer, entrepreneur, attorney, philanthropist and Republican politician from Massachusetts.

Personal life James Rappaport attended the Wharton School of Business and the Boston University School of Law.

Political career Rappaport initially became a real estate developer in Concord, which provided him with the means to self-finance his 1990 Senate campaign against Senator John Kerry. Although early polls indicated that Rappaport, a newcomer to the GOP, had a chance of defeating the senator, his campaign lost momentum by November, and he lost by a margin of 13%. Rappaport was then appointed Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman and served from 1992 to 1997. After being rumored as a possible candidae for Lieutenant Governor under then-Governor Jane Swift, Rappaport entered the Lieutenant Governor's race in 2002 but lost to Kerry Healey, who was hand-picked by Mitt Romney as his running mate.

Current activities Rappaport is involved in various civic and charitable organizations. He holds leadership roles within the Combined Jewish Philanthropies and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Board of Overseers of Boston's Children's Hospital. He is the co-founder and chairman of the board of Specialty Hospitals America (SHA), LLC.