President/National:
2020: Just when we thought the list of potential Democratic candidates couldn’t get any longer, here comes former MA Sen. & Secretary of State John Kerry (D) to prove us wrong. Kerry already lost to George W. Bush in 2004, but in an interview with CBS, he refused to rule anything out for 2020. Has anyone thought to check the calendars of Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis?
2020: Speaking of candidates from Massachusetts, a potentially more electable candidate (no, not Pocahontas) has begun laying the groundwork for a campaign: Former governor Deval Patrick (D). He’s created a national PAC called Reason to Believe, which is run by former aides and is working to support congressional candidates around the country. In a primary, Patrick would probably be fighting Sens. Kamala Harris and Patrick Booker for the Obama 2.0 mantle.
2020: Mayor of LA, Eric Garcetti (D), continues to prepare for a bid, visiting three major Ohio cities in as many days. Garcetti, who has already been to NH, will make a final decision in March next year.
Socialism: In a preview of the Democratic Platform for 2020 (ok, that was a joke… or was it?), Politico asks “What would a socialist America look like?” Allow me to make two points about the article: 1) Nobody in it understands shit about the Nordic countries (held up as an ideal by some on the left) and 2) Socialism always ends up with this…..
Massachusetts primaries are today.
Among contested races are ones between 2 Democrats [Jay González & Bob Massie] to face very popular moderate Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, and 3 Republicans [Beth Lindstrom, Geoff Diehl & Jack Kingston] to face current U.S. Sen Elizabeth Warren (D). In both cases, the current incumbents start with a strong advantage.
There are relatively few major policy differences between the three Republican Senate candidates, but rather sharp ones between the two Democrats seeking to succeed Charlie Baker.
Gov. Baker does have a Republican challenger, extreme right-wing evangelical Scott Lively.
There is also an unexpectedly lively Democratic primary race between incumbent Sec. of the Commonwealth (i.e. Sec. of State) Bill Galvin and Josh Zakim, son of the late, popular head of the Jewish Community Relations Council, (after whom the Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge is named).
In addition are significant races for some of the Bay State’s 9 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, including that of retiring Rep. Niki Tsongas (widow of the late Democratic U.S,. Senator and presidential candidate Paul Tsongas).
I will report the the Mass. results later tonight…