REP. PETER DURANT of Spencer emerged victorious from Tuesday’s special election Republican primary and will face off in November against his House colleague, Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik of Gardner, in the race for a vacant central Massachusetts Senate seat that appears to be up for grabs. Durant cruised by his opponent in the Republican primary, Bruce […]
Elections
Posted inPolitics
Former senator indicted on ethics violations
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FORMER STATE Sen. Dean Tran was indicted Friday by a Suffolk County grand jury and charged with two counts of violating state ethics laws, Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced. The newest charges against Tran, who was indicted by then-Attorney General Maura Healey in July 2022 on charges that he stole a Colt […]
Posted inState Government
State GOP settles in Fattman campaign finance case
THE MASSACHUSETTS Republican Party this week settled a 2 ½-year-old case that focused on efforts by Sen. Ryan Fattman of Sutton to financially support his wife’s campaign for register of probate in Worcester County. The state party, which had been accused of serving as an illegal conduit channeling $137,000 from Fattman’s campaign to his wife’s […]
Posted inEducation
MTA gearing up to push for new ballot questions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS in 2024 could be asked to settle two major education debates, but retailers may pass on bringing tax cuts to next year’s ballot. The state’s largest teacher’s union is considering ballot questions that would eliminate the graduation requirement associated with statewide standardized testing and create a “debt free college […]
Posted inOpinion
Why stopping the super PAC ballot question is important
ON JANUARY 21, the famous Supreme Court decision of Citizens United vs the FEC celebrated its 13th anniversary, but here in Massachusetts the efforts to undermine this expansion of our right to free speech and association before an election continues. If it’s not stopped now, it would most likely result in unions having the loudest […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Mass. poll indicates popularity of Democratic leaders sagging
POLL NUMBERS for key Democratic leaders are sagging between apathy and anonymity, according to a new poll of Massachusetts voters by the MassINC Polling Group. Favorability and reelection numbers are tepid at best. Just 43 percent of registered voters hold favorable views of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (38 percent unfavorable). For newly elected Gov. Maura Healey, […]
Posted inPolitics
SJC hears challenge of Healey ballot question rejection
THE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT heard arguments Monday on a thorny and novel question of political spending and free speech rights. Proponents of a potential 2024 ballot measure limiting individual campaign contributions to political action committees are asking the high court to find the measure was improperly rejected by then-Attorney General Maura Healey’s office last year. […]
Posted inOpinion
Progressives aren’t the problem, voting approach is
GREG MAYNARD’S insights regarding the shrinking influence of the Massachusetts Democratic Party was a much needed effort to critique the party’s shortcomings. However, instead of analysis, Maynard mixes up the issues in order to take gratuitous potshots at the party’s progressive wing. It’s scarcely news that unenrolled voters now outnumber both registered Republicans and Democrats […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
House declares Scarsdale winner of disputed race
DEMOCRAT MARGARET SCARSDALE of Pepperell is expected to be sworn in Wednesday as a state representative after a special House committee of two Democrats and one Republican upheld her seven-vote victory over Republican Andrew Shepherd of Townsend. The special committee, in a decision that was filed with the House clerk after 5 p.m. on Tuesday […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. Democratic Party isn’t all that different from GOP counterpart
THE DYSFUNCTION of the Massachusetts Republican Party has captured attention and headlines for the last few years, but it is the quiet collapse of the Massachusetts Democratic Party that should be concerning. In February 2006, Deval Patrick rocked the world of Massachusetts Democrats when he swept caucus after caucus, with slates of first-time activists beating […]