AS THE DUST settles on the recent election, there is an emerging bipartisan consensus that Massachusetts’ election laws are due to be updated. The latest evidence for this comes in the form of a recent op-ed published in CommonWealth. But the devil is in the details. In an opinion piece that misses the mark, Anthony […]
Elections
Posted inOpinion
3 ways to make Mass. elections fairer
IN THE RECENT general election, local proponents of ranked choice voting were earnest in their desire for electoral reform in Massachusetts. While I vehemently disagreed with their voting system, and am relieved that we on the No on 2 Committee were successful in our efforts to stop ranked choice voting, I do agree that the […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker slams Trump for stalling transition
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER strongly criticized President Trump on Tuesday for stalling an orderly presidential transition process at a time when the nation is entering a critical period in the fight against COVID-19. “I can’t think of a worse time to stall a transition than amid a deadly pandemic,” Baker said at a State House press conference. […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker says Trump’s conspiracy claims not supported by facts
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER criticized President Trump on Friday for suggesting there is some kind of national conspiracy going on related to the counting of votes across the country. Trump has said he is being cheated out of a second term by “the corrupt voting apparatus of the states,” which is counting “illegal votes” that have […]
Posted inThe Download
The case for Donald Trump
A Boston Globe news analysis of the presidential election posed the question that’s on the mind of many blue-state activists right now: Are we really that disconnected from the rest of our country? Political analyst Anthony Cignoli told the Globe that a large group of Democrats “are completely shell-shocked and demoralized” about how close the […]
Posted inPolitics
Winds of change don’t blow on Beacon Hill
THE WINDS OF CHANGE rarely blow on Beacon Hill, where Democrats have long held a majority in the House and Senate. Tuesday’s election, in the midst of a pandemic, a national reckoning over race, and an outpouring of opposition in Massachusetts to President Trump, demonstrated how true that old adage is. It was widely anticipated […]
Posted inPolitics
Cronin edges Tran, but some ballots outstanding
DEMOCRAT NEWCOMER John Cronin appears to have defeated incumbent Sen. Dean Tran by 876 votes, but there’s some wiggle room in that number because the city of Fitchburg is waiting until Friday to verify the accuracy of some 1,000 ballots. With 100 percent of the district’s precincts reporting, the Associated Press reported on Wednesday that […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker election investments yield few gains
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER invested a lot of personal endorsements and about $900,000 in super PAC funds in mostly Republican Massachusetts political races, but the returns on Tuesday were fairly modest. The number of Republicans holding seats in the Senate is likely to drop from four to three while the House showed little overall change. Baker […]
Posted inPolitics
Biden wave in Mass. doesn’t translate in House
THE BLUE WAVE in Massachusetts for Joe Biden and the state’s congressional delegation didn’t translate into a sweep of House legislative races for Democrats. Republican state Rep. Leonard Mirra of Georgetown said the presidential race “made things more difficult for [local] Republicans this year,” but he held on to retain his seat, edging Democratic challenger […]
Posted inPolitics
Despite $10m campaign, ranked-choice voting defeated
MASSACHUSETTS VOTERS on Tuesday decided not to adopt a ranked-choice voting system, a massive defeat for a nearly $10 million campaign that drew little organized opposition. “Voters like a fair and simple system,” said Anthony Amore, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully for secretary of state in 2018 and is active in the ranked-choice voting opposition. […]