Blue Mass Group

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Kim sez Harshbarger endorses Patrick

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Surprise? Nah.

While it may seem unusual for a former attorney general to not back his successor, the move is not all that surprising. Earlier this year I reported that Harshbarger’s wife, Judith Stephenson, has donated $1,000 to Patrick’s campaign since 2005, the maximum amount allowed in a two-year period, according to campaign finance records. Harshbarger has not yet made a contribution himself to Patrick.

This is a natural fit: both are/were Idealist vs. Establishment. And Patrick doubtless has those who will be happy to stick the “loony left” shiv into him as well — though probably not the speaker of the House this time.

So, does this actually bring Patrick more votes in September?

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Comments

  1. Endorsements made by organizations such as unions, teachers associations, Democracy for America, MoveOn.org, etc. it can be said to bring along a rough amount of votes.

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    But it’s hard to say that a specific person will bring about a quantifiable number of votes, it certainly will bring some. What it does, however, is add to the narrative of the campaign, and this narrative is a very good one. If it’s true, it’s very good news for Patrick and more bad news for Reilly.

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    Patrick is showing that he can earn the trust not only of the “left” but also of those who have held established offices. As much as Harshbarger is an “idealist” or whatever you want to call him, he also was Attorney General. It’s the highest position any Democrat has had other than Senate President or Speaker of the House. I think it has some weight to it.

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    To paraphrase jd, I can feel the momentum!

  2. Charley,

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    A web search didn’t lead me to any confirmation, but I seem to remember that Deval was the Chair of Scott’s campaign committee when he ran for Guv.

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    This wouldn’t make the endorsement any less genuine or valuable. Deval may be an “outsider” in the sense that he’s never held office before, but he is certainly no naïf. Exhibit One: 4 years in the first Clinton Administration. I think an endorsement like this means more, in fact, coming from someone who knows him well.

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