BOSTON—As Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants administered the oath of office to Attorney General Maura Healey last Wednesday, among the hundreds in Faneuil Hall looking on were Lt Gov. Karyn Polito, Speaker Robert DeLeo, Mayor Marty Walsh, former US Senator Mo Cowan, and
Charlie Baker may be the next governor of Massachusetts, but the commonwealth remains solidly Democratic country. Unlike Bill Weld who for a time had a veto-proof majority or Paul Cellucci who had something to gain—ambassadorship to Canada—Baker has little reason not play ball with Beacon Hill
A Democratic Attorney General principally facing off against a ideologically inoffensive Republican. It could be nearly five years ago. Dig deeper, though, and it becomes patently obvious that this is not the same race. Martha Coakley, the Democratic nominee for governor, has leaned into this
BOSTON—Appearing energized after National Republicans launched an attack on her, an undeterred Martha Coakley rallied with First Lady Michelle Obama and Democrats from across the state, effectively kicking off the final 30 day sprint in the race for governor. The roster of speakers aside from
SPRINGFIELD—In one of the first televised debates of the general election for governor, all five of the candidates on the ballot faced off in a by turns colorful and ho-hum debate. Organized by the Western Massachusetts media consortium, the debate offered few surprises from the
Depending on your perspective, 2014 is either a good year or a less poor than usual one for Western Massachusetts Republicans. On the one hand, there are some pickup opportunities for the party. On the other, for the first time in a long, long, LONG
SOMERVILLE—The most coveted endorsement this election cycle anywhere in the country may be Massachusetts’ own senior Senator. Elizabeth Warren’s backing of Attorney General Martha Coakley may have been a foregone conclusion. Still, the one-time law professor’s formal backing of the Democratic gubernatorial nominee Saturday energized
SOMERVILLE—The mood of the room defied the typical political event. Martha Coakely sat at the far end of a circle of tables and chairs, each seat filled by a woman, a mom, in fact. Each was talking about the struggles with addiction their children and
A week after its ruling, the impact of the Supreme Judicial Court’s decision to allow the casino referendum on the ballot appears easier to measure. While the entire concept of repeal had long been a factor in the gubernatorial and attorney general races, it existed
UPDATED 3/30/14 8:07PM: For grammar & clarity. The relative calm of the race in Westfield to fill Don Humason’s rep seat suddenly ended this week as two hit pieces went out against Democrat John Velis, one of which has since been owned by Republican Dan