Two items on this front today from PoliticoMA:
Setti Warren, fresh off an announcement that he will not seek re-election as Newton’s Mayor has hired former MDP Chair John Walsh as a consultant. Other names are mentioned at the end of the article.
Also, there is a link to a Globe article about an effort to draft John Kerry, who did serve as Lt. Governor 30+ years ago.
Candidates may start appearing as early as the 2017 caucuses, though that didn’t seem to help Joe Avellone.
Please share widely!
Kerry won’t do it.
Personally I would rather keep Maura Healey as AG, but I think some people will want her to run.
Suzanne Bump is an outside possibility.
My Newton sources had pegged this for quite some time. It’s worth noting there was a growing opposition to his continued Mayoralty among some councilors for precisely this reason. In any case, I will approach his candidacy with an open mind.
Kerry is too old and wouldn’t have a prayer against Baker. Drafting him is a dumb idea. I strongly believe he was a great Secretary of State, he will possibly go down as one of the greatest if all his initiatives bear fruit. But it is time for him to retire from public life with his head held high.
I am agnostic about this contest, both in terms of who to support and the whether it’s the best use of our time. To me, putting our limited time, energy, and money towards the progressive income tax should be the top priority of the progressive community in 2018.
Nothing would help the next Democratic governor more. Nothing would force Baker and DeLeo’s hands on revenue more, barring the upset required to dislodged Baker. Nothing would be more dispiriting than seeing it defeated.
A nominee who campaigns vigorously for that amendment is more likely to win and more likely to govern successfully. It’s my top litmus test. My second litmus test is someone with the credibility and capability of taking on the legislature.
I am guessing the political climate and possible damage from a President Trump will shape this race.
Some additional names against a beatable Baker:
Kim Driscoll, Joe Curtatone, Marty Walsh, Seth Moulton, Joe Kennedy III
A strong Baker certainly won’t have crowded field:
Joe Avellone among others.
I would like Maura Healy to remain as AG and Moulton to remain in Congress.
People have mention Katherine Clark too, but I think she is hitting her stride.
He wouldn’t be a real improvement over the incumbent. The other names are going to run in 2022, sans the Kennedy who runs to replace Markey. I have it on good authority Driscoll is interested in another mayoral term and then will retire.
I wouldn’t bet that way.
In 2022 Senator Markey will have been a US Senator for 9 years (assumed office July 16 2013). In 2022 he’ll be 76 years old.
It’s entirely plausible that he hangs it up. It’s also entirely plausible that he doesn’t.
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…so I assume JConway’s thinking is that Kennedy runs for the seat that year and won’t pursue yet another job just two years later.
My sources have told me Markey is a one term Senator and Moulton and Kennedy are both preparing for that contest. Warren is a two term Senator and it’s expected Katherine Clark would compete for that seat after she retires. While Jamie Eldridge is waiting for Tsongas to retire.
Moulton has made interesting moves this week that may indicate he wants to be a player in the House, he is part of the young team trying to take on Pelosi and appears to be an ally of Tim Ryan. So if that gambit works, he will stay in the House and move up the ladder. If it does not, he will likely have gained the higher profile needed to run for Senate.
Driscoll and Moulton are on the wrong side of the charter school issue. I want a candidate who was standing on my side on Question 2.
Especially to differentiate from Baker.
Opposition to Question 2 would fuel the energy in the race. If there was no differentiation on that issue *yawn* why bother?
Litmus tests are one thing, real issues another. I suspect that the two big state issues in coming years will be health care (because ACA) and public transit. Realistically, Baker wins on health care; this is where his separation from the national GOP pays off, and he has the background, knowledge, and (presumably) commitment to the pre-existing state plan. The good news for Dems is that this issue may not blow up by ’18, although it probably will.
But Baker is about the worst person to actually come to grips with fixing the T. This will require more public money, and specifically more from local sources – I doubt he can even think about that. The trouble for Dems is that the T is not at all a statewide issue – it will have geography-specific appeal, and could push a considerable part of the state towards becoming “Trump country.”
I’ll vote for anyone who pledges to ride the T to the State House every day.
Sometimes schedules are complicated. Sometimes a governor wants to get to the office before 6am, or stay after 12:30am.
I’d take 3 days a week.
Green line service has not since been as good as it was when Governor Dukakis rode the Green Line every day from his Brookline home.
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But if it someone from outside the commuting zone, I’d still like them to ride the T from whatever point is logical.
Make them pay their own way if they’re outside the commuting zone.
I strongly suspect one effective way to increase support for effective public rail transportation in the areas not currently served is to ensure that public officials in those areas have daily first-hand knowledge of what the absence of that effective public rail transportation means for working-class men and women.
Perhaps such a policy might help avoid embarrassments such as Jane Swift’s personal use of a state helicopter for her travel to her Western MA home for Thanksgiving. I understand that it was an emergency, and that the best trains in the world wouldn’t have gotten her home as quickly. Still, she should have paid for it herself.
…and subsidize their train tickets. I’m actually OK with Governors using state vehicles at all times on air, land, or water. After all, the President doesn’t fly commercial or drive his own vehicle even if its just for vacation.
There are no train tickets to subsidize. If there were, I’d enthusiastically agree with you.
The point is that in too many areas of the state, public rail transportation is not an option. Not for workers, not for the wealthy, and not for political officials. The closest Amtrak station to her home in Williamstown is in Pittsfield, MA — nearly thirty miles and 50 minutes (by car) away. That town is served by one train a day, and that train requires nearly four hours to make the trip from Boston.
…to suggest comping their commuter rail tickets from a logical point.
What transportation subsidy does a Governor get? Are you talking about the basically 12 hour security protection. Get a grip on it. Public officials exist in a different realm than you will ever understand.
And what the fuck does it mean when you write “make them pay their own way? You certainly don’t pay your own way on the MBTA.
For a Dem, being better than Baker on the T doesn’t help much. You’re already winning the votes of MBTA riders by and large. Sure you might pick up a few flips and gain some intensity, but nowhere near enough.
A Dem needs to either absolutely demolish in the blue areas (Boston metro, Gateway Cities, far Western Mass, pockets of the Cape), or find some meat and potato issues that bring along an extra few percent of 128 and 495 voters (while still doing reasonably well in the bluest areas).
It’s why I think it would be really hard to go from Mayor of Boston to governor. At least a mayor of Newton could try to appeal to both urban dwellers and suburbanites.
The Mass. Dems need to learn from the Clinton campaign — ignoring the regions that you don’t easily connect with isn’t a way to win. We need to look beyond metro Boston. Even (gasp!) beyond 495 perhaps. Yes, people do live out there.
What about Dan Wolf?
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http://www.sec.state.ma.us/
He loves his job and it is way too risky at the age of 64 to give up his love for public service. He also has only $500,000 in the bank and limited capacity to raise money. The Gov’s race is going to cost more than the $4,000,000 spent by Coakley. Plus Galvin loves public service. If he wanted money in the private sector he could have long ago cashed it in, rather than going out on a losing note.. He already lost one statewide election (Treasurer 1990) and I know it stung him hard.
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Never heard him called Billy – only Bulger was coming to mind and figured that couldn’t be right.
…called Draft Dan! (Wolf, who is retiring)
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…according to the Cape Cod Times
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