As noted, there are elections for Boston City Council, for Medford Mayor, and for State Senate in Brockton and surrounding towns, and a variety of other races. Go vote.
The State Senate race (2nd Plymouth and Bristol) pits Democrat Michael Brady against Republican Geoff Diehl. Diehl is a pro-gun, “pro-life”, Trump-supporting Tea Party conservative who is trimming his sails for the general, talking the Charlie Baker talk, even while outside groups are placing deceptive robocalls on his behalf. Brady is a Brockton old-school working class Democrat with the backing of labor unions. He supports full-day kindergarten and fighting opioid abuse. The GOP wants to develop a stronghold in the suburbs south of Boston, so this race may be significant beyond the next year.
Precinct by precinct analysis at Mass. Numbers. Good stuff.
Check the map, check your address, and get out there today.
No more or less than any other, this is an open thread.
Update: Brady defeats Diehl. No Tea Party beachhead in the City of Champions just yet. In Boston, Annissa Essaibi George defeats Stephen Murphy; Andrea Joy Campbell defeats Yancey; Flaherty, Wu and Pressley victorious.
Further update (by David): Stephanie Muccini Burke is the mayor-elect of Medford. BMG Kiss of Death has been nullified. Between that, Sen.-elect Brady, and the Boston City Council results, a good night for progressives in these parts.
jconway says
The last paragraph at the bottom of the Brockton State Senate post is a little ominous, anyone else aware of this?
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hesterprynne says
mentioned in the Politico article Charley linked to, together with their sister 501(c)(4), Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. Jobs First is giving money not only to Diehl but also to the 3rd party candidate who’s benefiting from the deceptive robocalls.
In the 2014 election, these two groups targeted 20 incumbents, using spurious mailers accusing them of, among other things, favoring undocumented immigrants over veterans. That basis of that accusation was a staged and very misleading roll call vote that we may see them attempt to repeat in tomorrow’s House session. More in this post.
hesterprynne says
http://hesterprynne.net/2015/11/03/honoring-veterans-by-accusing-others-of-dishonoring-them/
fredrichlariccia says
I’m campaigning next door in Melrose today far my boss at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate —Ed O’Connell — a candidate for the Melrose School Committee. I’m his volunteer campaign manager.
Ed supports the progressive override ballot initiative sponsored by Melrose Mayor Rob Dolan who is up for re-election.
I urge all Melrosians to vote YES on the override and to support Ed O’Connell for School Committee.
This is how we build our farm team.
Fred Rich LaRiccia
jconway says
Other friends shared that on facebook as well, they have a pretty good website too which could serve as a template for how local organizers should frame these issues.
fredrichlariccia says
62% to 38% but my School Committee candidate, Ed O’Connell, won a seat on the Board — topping the challengers.
Politics is a long, tough slog of ups and downs. I’m mentally and physically exhausted so my boss gave me the day off tomorrow and presented me with a box of primo imported Dominican cigars tonight for my efforts. I am a happy man.
Good night, all.
Fred Rich LaRiccia
SomervilleTom says
I was voter number 128 (I think that was the number) in Ward 5 precinct 2. It might have been 168. Not exactly a heavy turnout.
I gladly voted for Joe Curtatone for mayor. I blanked the other offices, because I (sadly) don’t know any of them and I do not vote for candidates I don’t know.
jconway says
He is one of my favorite Bay State Mayors so I would’ve voted for him, just curious if his more radical approach this term led to any backlash.
SomervilleTom says
Joe Curtatone ran unopposed. I just wanted to show my support.
Since I occasionally contemplate running for some local office, I like to leave behind a record of participation in local elections as well.
jconway says
All solid progressives at the state and local level. Even Toomey has moved pretty far to the left for him, but I guess you could probably whack him on neglecting East Somerville or double dipping as a Cambridge City Councilor. Barber voted for DeLeo’s term limits package, but that’s a hard vote to have as your first one in the chamber so I am inclined to give her a little wiggle room on that. Not sure if any of the aldermen or good or bad, I know Gewirtz through the Deval campaign, and I know she’s stepping down this year.
drikeo says
Supposedly a movement progressive, but my attention to Somerville is mostly based around public transit expansion and industrial zone redevelopment. The city is leading the charge on those fronts, arguably the biggest bricks and mortar liberal initiative taking place in MA, and Gewirtz voted against all of it. Davis Square could have elected a Tea Party absolutist and those votes would have been no different.
jconway says
One could argue the CRA slate in Cambridge was pretty NIMBY and anti-development. They argued they were green and anti corporate and protecting the city from big money developers while other affordable housing advocates stressed that they really protected existing landowners at the cost of future tenants. I tend to be pro-smart growth, which is a pro-growth and pro-development stance tempered by support for more affordable housing, transit oriented development, and initiatives to raise working family wages.
I suspect she voted with an existing constituency that liked the status quo, if it’s like Cambridge that’s probably a hodgepodge of different interests. I met her once at a Deval debate watching party in Porter Square, haven’t really followed her since.
But I’m with Joe all the way in Somerville.
Christopher says
…on who’s lining up to succeed Brady in the House?
jconway says
And a good one! Congrats to our new councilors!
ryepower12 says
on the Boston City Council, and tonight there’s four.
There’s still not quite the kind of diversity on the city council that there should be, but I think the at-large seats tonight show exactly where this city is going — with three of four of the at-large seats held by women and two of four from minority communities.
I’m also pumped that Ayanna Pressley won the most votes on the city council for the 3rd election in a row. She’s quickly become one of my favorite pols in all of MA.
Now if we can get some real progress increasing female and minority representation on Beacon Hill…
ryepower12 says
repealing the anti-discrimination ordinance because it included protection for the LGBT community… so now businesses are free to deny LGBT people service and landlords can deny housing free from worry.
A sad day for human decency in the 4th largest city in America.
fredrichlariccia says
it was the last of the 10 top US cities without an anti-discrimination statute.
This question was put on the ballot by the ultra conservative Texas Supreme Court precisely because they knew there would be low voter turnout. And because its’ right wing backers ran a transphobic bathroom TV ad even the statute targeted 12 minority groups including AA, Latinos and immigrants.
We should all support an economic and tourist boycott of Houston until they join the civilized world.
Fred Rich LaRiccia
jconway says
I imagine an ordinance in a presidential year would not have faced the same slate, but am also genuinely surprised since the elected and re-elected a lesbian Mayor during a similar cycle.
jconway says
Posted here .