2020 politics in review: Trump vs. Biden, Markey vs. Kennedy and Black Lives Matter

A high-stakes presidential election that played out amid a pandemic and a racial justice movement. A marquee U.S. Senate matchup that put a storied Massachusetts political dynasty on the line. And an abrupt changing of the guard on Beacon Hill that capped it all off.

It’s been a pivotal year in American and Massachusetts politics — an “unprecedented” time that Boston University presidential historian Thomas Whalen said carries similar historical significance to the nation-changing assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the world wars and the 1918 flu pandemic.

“We are going to be talking about this year for a very long time to come,” Whalen said. “And the aftereffects of this year are still to be written.”

Take a look back through the Herald’s biggest political stories of 2020:

Don’t call it a comeback, but when the Democratic primaries got underway in February it seemed like former Vice President Joe Biden’s third presidential bid was about to bite the dust. Biden suffered a “gut punch” of a fourth-place finish in Iowa and fled New Hampshire before finishing fifth there. But his fortunes soon changed and by November, Biden, 78, became the oldest person ever elected president, and his running mate, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, became the first Black woman and first South Asian woman elected vice president. But President Trump – who was briefly sidelined from campaigning by COVID-19 — is continuing to challenge the election results.

Speaking of comebacks, U.S. Sen. Edward Markey staged one for the history books when he fended off a Democratic primary challenge from U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III. Markey was down by double digits when Kennedy launched his bid. But the 74-year-old Green New Deal coauthor harnessed the power of the youth and progressive movements to notch a 10-point victory over Kennedy, 40, and beat Republican challenger Kevin O’Connor in November.

It was good to be an incumbent in Massachusetts this year. The entire Bay State congressional delegation was re-elected, save Kennedy, who will be succeeded by Democrat Jake Auchincloss in the 4th Congressional District.

But Bay State pols didn’t get very far in the presidential race. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s Oval Office bid flamed out after she failed to win a single state. Warren’s since been passed over for the vice presidency and most Cabinet positions under Biden. Former Govs. Deval Patrick and Bill Weld didn’t fare well, either.

State Rep. Robert DeLeo ended his historic run as the Massachusetts House Speaker on Tuesday and Quincy Democrat Ronald Mariano was elected his successor.

City Councilors Michelle Wu and Andrea Campbell fired the starting pistol for the 2021 Boston mayoral race as the two announced their runs in September. Either one would be the first person who’s not a white man to hold the powerful position. Mayor Martin Walsh hasn’t yet said whether he’ll run for a third term — he’s been discussed as Biden’s potential Labor secretary — but signs point to yes.

A thread that ran through every level of politics in 2020 was the call for change in policing. Several high-profile police killings of Black people in the spring ignited waves of Black Lives Matter demonstrations at home and across the nation this summer. Boston’s city council passed various changes to policing, including creating a civilian review board, and the state Legislature approved its own police reform bill that would create a licensing process for officers.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2L8V4dg