David Bernstein reports that a name thrown around here by some folks, State Rep. Jamie Eldridge of Acton, has announced an “exploratory” committee for a run for Marty Meehan’s current seat, and hired three staffers. So, that’s pretty serious.
Eldridge has some progressive bona fides in order: He was an early supporter of Tim Schofield in his state rep race in early ’05, which is how I know of him. He was the only candidate elected under the late and much-lamented Clean Elections Law.
Otherwise, he’s young: 33. And I can attest that unlike Tim Schofield (or Deval Patrick), Eldridge is really quite tall. There’s my scouting report, folks. Take what you can get.
Anyway, there’s a lot more on his new-looking website, which includes a couple of articles from the Acton Beacon about a possible run. He’s touting a “close relationship” with Meehan. And David Bernstein’s comment that the odds favor someone from the southern part of Meehan’s district seem right to me.
What do you think? What do you know about Eldridge? Early on, he seems like one of the more promising “progressive” candidates, but what do I know?
He has been very good on the environment. One more point in his favor: he’s not representing Cambridge or some other safe progressive district. He had a conservative (Republican?) opponent initially, and had to run a real race to be reelected.
and is the most active legislator I’ve seen with the Young Democrats. If he runs I’m sure you will see them throw their support behind him.
Mass Democratic Future endorsed him.
Meehan isn’t officially out yet?
They endorsed him for state rep (and then he won).
You will not find a harder worker in this race than Jamie Eldridge. During his campaign for reelection he was running phone banks and knocking on doors not only for himself, but also for Deval Patrick who Jamie supported probably earlier than pretty much any other legislator.
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I don’t live in his Rep. district (sadly) nor the Congressional district, but I think Jamie is a great candidate, and a guy who really gets the grassroots and isn’t afraid of hard work. I love that in a candidate.
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I just got a press release about three key staff positions recently filled:
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Progressive pollster and strategist Dan Cohen of Massachusetts-based Connection Strategies has signed onto Jamie’s effort after working for over 20 winning campaigns across the state. Cohen has most recently played a fundamental role in State Senator Pat Jehlen’s landslide special election victory in 2005 and plays a key role in the effort for marriage equality in Massachusetts.
Also signing on is Lauren Aquino-Couture of the Masschusetts-based Evalesco Group. She is a fundraising consultant with a client roster of elected officials throughout the state, with previous experience including roles as Finance Director for the 2002 Democratic Gubernatorial Campaign in New Hampshire and Finance Director for the New Hampshire Democratic Senate Caucus.
Michael Moschella of Boston, MA has joined the campaign after recently serving as Field Director for Chris Gabrieli’s Gubernatorial campaign and Campaign Manager for State Representative Rachel Kaprielian’s successful re-election bid. Moschella was also successful in this past election cycle as the first employee for Congressman Tim Mahoney’s (D-FL 16) now-famous race against Mark Foley.
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Pretty good start I’d say. Plus, I know that Jamie has been reaching out to groups like the Young Democrats, DFA and local Town/Ward/City Committees.
He was, indeed, one of the first few elected officials in Massachusetts to endorse Deval Patrick.
In addition to Pat Jehlen and MassEquality, other campaigns Dan Cohen has worked on include Carl Sciortino, Tim Schofield, Claire Naughton, Rebekah Gewirtz, and Sonia Chang-Diaz. I’ve worked with him on a bunch of campaigns (as should be evident from this list), and I’ve learned that having Dan Cohen on a campaign consistently means two things:
If this election happens, I expect to be on a campaign with Dan Cohen once again đŸ™‚ (probably as a volunteer)
Jamie Eldridge is by far one of the brightest and hardest working reps at the State House. He’s the real deal!
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It’s nice to see someone is serious about this race.
…is merely another example of the problem that I noted a few weeks ago. As long as Teddy Kennedy and John F. Kerry sit on their US senate seats, there is no way for others to “move up.”
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Meehan isn’t bad (I’d have preferred to have Barney as a Senator, and I would hate to get between Meehan and a TV camera), but this “sitting on the Senate seat until the day I die” has got to stop. It induces scleroticization of, not just the Senate, but also the party.
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Teddy Kennedy (who has been in rare–and very good–form in recent months) can thunder from other venues. He doesn’t have to be sitting on a Senate seat to do so.
A bridge on Chappaquiddick?
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The beach in Palm Beach, Florida?
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As a 2012 presidential candidate (he’ll only be 80 then)?
I think Ted Kennedy does an amazingly good job in the US Senate and I’m very glad he’s there. I don’t want him to move along just for the sake of making room. Why should our US Representatives need a place to move up to? By the logic of your argument, isn’t it just as good to have one of them step out for another position? In other words, why would Kennedy leaving the Senate and Meehan running for it be a good thing, while Kennedy staying and Meehan going to UMass-Lowell and other people running for that is a sign of a problem? I don’t understand.