Bay State pols brace for anti-establishment aftershocks
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s presidential bid and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy’s gambit to unseat Sen. Ed Markey will dominate the Massachusetts political landscape in 2020 as local incumbents also grapple with the anti-establishment aftershocks of US Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s upset win.
Pressley scored a surprise victory against well-funded and well-liked Democratic incumbent Michael Capuano in 2018, and her win spotlighted an anti-incumbent trend that played out in other races across the state.
Even Warren appeared to take aim at an entrenched political establishment at a rally yesterday, suggesting some of her rivals had been bought out by “billionaires,” and “corporate executives,” as polling showed her lagging behind Democratic 2020 rivals Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.
Bay State Dems appear to be echoing those polls. While the possibility of an open U.S. Senate seat would normally prompt ambitious Dems to quietly put together a special election campaign discussion of that possibility has cooled down dramatically, said one long-time party insider.
“Conversations were going that way earlier in the year, but I haven’t heard anything like that recently,” he said.
Sen. Markey and Rep. Kennedy, meanwhile, sat only feet away from each other yesterday on a packed pew at the historic South Boston Meeting house. Both men have endorsed Warren’s presidential bid, and Warren endorsed Markey for Senate before Kennedy entered the race.
Kennedy remains ahead in the polls in that race despite continued hard work from Markey to leverage his long-time connections in the Senate and the Bay State. Fundraising figures will be key for both men at the start of 2020 as they seek to flex their political muscle.
Bay State Dems behind the scenes are preparing for the 2021 Boston Mayoral election and the governor’s race in 2022, where politicians could also feel the aftershocks of Rep. Pressley’s political upset.
“One of the things that will begin to play out as we get into 2020 is the impact of young politicians in Massachusetts challenging the old guard,” said one Democrat.
“It’s not a question of if the Boston mayor will be from a diverse background, it’s when,” he said.
Expect City Councilor Michelle Wu, an Asian American, to continue to make news as she decides whether to challenge the well-funded and well-connected incumbent Mayor Marty Walsh.
Prominent statewide politicians like Attorney General Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito will likely continue their impressive fundraising as they wait to see if Gov. Charlie Baker commits to a third term.
And those looking for a political shakeup to kick off 2020 might just get their wish. A leading State House Democrat could be stepping down by February or March — exactly the kind of fireworks Bay State political observers can expect in 2020.
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/35e5ZH8
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