The local paper in the largest town located entirely within the district, the Needham Times, recently did a run-down on each of the candidates.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/nee…
The Times has also begun a series of profile pieces of each of the candidates. The first profile, out today, was of Needham Town Meeting member Dr. Peter Smulowitz (D), who as I’ve mentioned before is my favorite candidate of the bunch.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/nee…
For what it’s worth, I think at least one of the two candidates still on the fence decide to get in. One is a local elected official who is not up for reelection this year, and the other is a former elected official, so neither of them really have much to lose. If they’ve ever had a desire to serve their communities in the State Senate, now is probably their chance.
Of the two of them, I think that Healy, if he gets in, would prove to be the much more formidable candidate. Healy was elected time and time again town-wide as a Republican in the biggest and one of the most heavily Democratic communities in the Senate District. Needham is a must-win community for the Democratic nominee, whoever that person proves to be. If Healy runs and manages to hold his own in Needham while maintaining the strong past Republican preformance in the southern tier of the district, he could be in very good shape indeed. Plus, there is just one Republican in the race right now, Rep. Ross, who the powers-that-be have tried to clear the primary field for. The opening for a conservative populist/anti-establishment candidate on the Republican side seems wide.
DiRensis, on the other hand, comes from a much smaller and less (electorally) significant town, and would face an already crowded primary if he entered the race. Lida Harkins seems to have the role of ‘establishment’ Democratic candidate locked down, while Smulowitz’s fundraising prowess and organizational strength make him the natural choice for the role of anti-establishment progressive challenger. Honestly, I don’t see how DiRensis fits into that narrative, unless one of the other candidates stumbles.
I will continue to post intermittently with updates on this interesting and important race, so if you are interested, keep an eye out! And if you are impressed by one of the excellent candidates in this race and happen to be in the area, come and help out!
christopher says
Per today’s noon news on Channel 5, Murray has set the primary for April 13th and the general for May 11th, the same as for Gallucio’s seat.