"Democrats scramble to counter a fervent GOP" by Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff | October 11, 2010
WAKEFIELD — The signs are many that Republicans, despite a registration disadvantage of more than 3 to 1, enter the final weeks of the campaign with a tailwind. A recent Globe poll showed that among voters who said they are excited about the election, Baker leads Patrick, 52 percent to 25 percent. Some 78 percent of likely GOP voters said they are excited about the race, compared with only 37 percent of likely Democratic voters.
Perhaps more ominous for Democrats was the turnout in the Sept. 14 primary. Despite far fewer Republican contests, one third of voters cast Republican ballots, the highest percentage in many years.
Among voters not enrolled in a party — a majority of the electorate — more than 44 percent in the primary voted Republican, according to the secretary of state’s office....
Through vast suburban swaths, independents turned out in much larger numbers to vote Republican, while Democratic turnout in the big cities fell way below the statewide average.
In Haverhill, Leominster, Marlborough, Melrose, Methuen, and Waltham — six nominally Democratic cities that can swing Republican in competitive elections and tilted to Brown in the January special election — independents took more Republican ballots in September than Democratic, often by large margins.
In more reliably Democratic cities like Fitchburg, Peabody, and Weymouth, the trend was the same. They also went for Brown in January. Even in Lynn, where Democrats outnumber Republicans by a more than 7-to-1 ratio, independents took more GOP ballots in the primary than Democratic, state tallies show.
The only Democratic bright spots were three liberal and rural counties in Western Massachusetts where independents voted Democratic by a 9-to-1 margin in the primary. They deliver only about 6 percent of the statewide vote, however....
Amazing how the insulting, agenda-pushing Globe only finds us when they need us.
Sorry, Globe, we can't save your man.
--more--"
His team of supporters was tossing a football and chanting his name along the East Boston Columbus Day Parade route while Charles D. Baker, all 6 feet, 6 inches of him, surged to the parade sidelines, pumping hands and slapping backs.
Then a voice could be heard over the music pumping from Baker’s sound truck.
“Fire your campaign manager!’’ hollered Patrick Seaver.
The West End resident, disgusted with the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s campaign, was one of several along the parade route who cheered for veterans, Uncle Sam, and Americana while expressing displeasure with the political choices. A little more than three weeks before the election, the candidates for governor hit the trail yesterday trying to connect with voters. But some voters expressed bitterness, pointing to the negativity in the race and expressing disenchantment for politics in general and their options for governor in particular.
Walter Malone of East Boston eagerly shook Baker’s hand as the Republican campaign team went by. Afterward, he said it meant nothing. “I want to be like them,’’ said Malone, pointing to the politicians. “I want to shake everybody’s hand, kiss everybody’s baby. And then stick it to ’em.’’
His wife, Marie Malone, said she had no intention of voting for governor, though she has voted consistently since she was 18.
“I have faith in no one,’’ she said. “I’d rather not vote than kick myself in the behind later.’’
************
“Charlie Baker ought to be ashamed of himself,’’ said Seaver, who had heckled Baker a few moments earlier. “This is his to lose and his people are losing it.’’
But Seaver’s friend, Peter Pagliuca, a Republican from East Boston who favors Baker, pushed back, spurring a heated parade-side debate as their wives nervously looked on.
“To me, at the end of the day, it’s about the economy, taxes, and jobs,’’ Pagliuca said. “I just think here in our state, our kids have a better chance with Baker.’’
The incumbent’s pledge to remain positive was attacked by an opponent yesterday. Governor Deval Patrick, a Democrat, was quoted in yesterday’s Boston Herald as saying that while other candidates are tearing each other down, “I’m about lifting all of us up.’’ Baker’s campaign fired back that unions and special interest groups are running ads attacking Baker to benefit Patrick. And, his aides noted, Patrick was quoted that same day criticizing Baker’s record as former CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
Patrick did not march in the high-traffic East Boston parade, watched by thousands. He spent the day on the South Coast, meeting voters at a New Bedford Market Basket and at the Pine Hills Community Center in Plymouth. He returned for a community meeting in Roxbury last night....
“You don’t know who to trust right now,’’ said Charlene Masucci of Revere, who was sitting on a curb on the parade route with her son. She had just met Baker, and he seemed like a “nice guy,’’ she said.
But personality wasn’t her top priority, either. “People want to work,’’ she said. “There’s no jobs. We need to focus on jobs and education.’’
--more--"
"Obama rolls in to stump for Patrick; President hails governor’s record, urges crowd to rebuke the Republican Party" by David Abel and Kathleen Conti, Globe Staff | October 17, 2010
Thousands of people crowded into the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center yesterday to hear President Obama urge them to whip up enthusiasm around the state for Governor Deval Patrick’s bid for a second term.
As part of a national effort to help Democratic candidates, Obama arrived in the Back Bay with recent polls showing the gubernatorial race nearly a dead heat between Patrick and Republican challenger Charles D. Baker. The president said Patrick has qualities that make him stand above other candidates who are trying to ride the electorate’s prevailing mood of anger at government into office.
“When too many folks bow to the politics of the moment, he represents the politics of conscience and conviction,’’ Obama said of Patrick, who sat on a stool beside the president. “In an age of too much cynicism, he has matched unbending optimism with unyielding effort to move Massachusetts forward.’’
Obama also repeated a critique of Republican policies he has been delivering around the country....
He thinks this is going to help?
Later in the day, the president attended a fund-raiser in Newton hosted by Dr. Ralph de la Torre, the chief executive of the Caritas Christi Health Care network, which operates St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and other Catholic hospitals. The event raised $900,000 for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, officials said.
Related: Killing Caritas
A million bucks in campaign contributions helps.
How many foreclosures could that have forestalled?
About 75 people gathered in a room with a vaulted ceiling and a fireplace made of fieldstone. Also speaking at the fund-raiser was US Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts.
“This is a tough year as every single one of you knows and nobody knows that better than the president of the United States,’’ Kerry told the small audience.
That tough year began with another high-stakes effort by Obama to help a Massachusetts Democrat in a difficult race. The president swept into the state in January to make a last-minute appeal for Attorney General Martha Coakley, who was running in the special election to replace the late US senator Edward M. Kennedy.
Despite Obama’s entreaties, Massachusetts voters chose Republican Scott Brown.
Obama and Patrick, old friends with Chicago roots and Harvard degrees, have campaigned together before....
The race between Patrick and Baker appears to be extremely close, according to recent polls, with one showing the governor clinging to a narrow lead. Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, running as an independent, is a distant third, according to most polls, with Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein in fourth.
Baker appeared at a town hall-style meeting yesterday at the Waltham Sons of Italy, where he focused his remarks on Patrick, saying the governor had four years to “right the fiscal ship,’’ but “didn’t get the job done.’’
“Why should we rehire him?’’ Baker said of Patrick. “It’s four more years of what we just had: higher taxes, more spending, fewer jobs.’’
In remarks to reporters afterward, Baker said Obama’s campaigning for Patrick proves he has made major inroads against the incumbent governor.
“I just think that the president’s presence here in Massachusetts is an indicator about the fact that our campaign has a tremendous amount of momentum,’’ Baker said. “I just think it’s one more indication about how hard [Patrick is] going to work to hold on to power.’’
Cahill, meanwhile, met with a small group of people attending a 10th anniversary commemoration of Millennium Park in West Roxbury. Despite a modest turnout that included about 15 supporters, Cahill said he will continue his campaign full force until Election Day....
He will be lucky to top 5%.
Among those who preceded Patrick on the stage was musician James Taylor, who sang “America the Beautiful’’ and his classic “You’ve Got a Friend,’’ which he dedicated to Patrick.
Patrick campaign officials estimated that as many as 16,000 people came to the rally.
When the president took the stage, the thousands in the convention center roared with approval and Obama urged them to help turn out the vote on Nov. 2.
“You didn’t elect him to do what was easy,’’ Obama said of Patrick. “You elected him to do what was right, and that is exactly what he has done.’’
At the fund-raiser in Newton later in the afternoon, Obama again acknowledged the difficult political environment, but stressed that voters’ anxiety is fueled by one of the worst economic downturns to hit the country since the Great Depression.
“The country is scared, and they have good reason to be,’’ the president said. “And that’s why this election is so absolutely critical, because essentially you can respond in a couple of ways to a trauma like this. I mean, one is to pull back, retrench, respond to your fears by pushing away challenges, looking backwards. And another is to say we can meet these challenges and we are going to move forward.’’
As the president spoke inside de la Torre’s home, neighbors on Howland Road gathered outside to witness the spectacle of a presidential visit. De la Torre’s next door neighbors held homemade sign addressed not to the president, but his two daughters: “Can Malia and Sasha come out and play?’’ It was signed by “Caroline (10)’’ and “Grace (5).’’
--more--"
I have had enough with the shallow s*** coverage.
"Patrick camp is unable to show foe tied to T debt" by Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | October 18, 2010
Governor Deval Patrick has recently blamed his Republican opponent, Charles D. Baker, for past bus, subway, and commuter rail fare increases that he says were imposed as the result of Baker’s actions as the state’s chief budget officer in the 1990s.
“The Big Dig financing plan is the reason there is excessive debt at the MBTA and the Turnpike Authority,’’ Patrick, a Democrat, said in a debate last week, one of at least four times he has blamed Baker for the T’s financial troubles. “There is one signature on that plan, Charlie, and it’s yours.’’
It’s a powerful charge. But Patrick’s campaign, asked to back up the allegations, could not provide any evidence that Baker’s work on the Big Dig added to the MBTA’s debt. Instead the campaign provided a statement reiterating other charges against Baker and his role in financing the project.
In fact, since Patrick became governor, the agency twice approved plans to push off debt payments in order to avoid unpopular fare increases. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the nation’s fifth-largest transit system, now has a debt load estimated at $8.6 billion including interest....
And you wonder why services are being cut?
The T’s finances would have been far worse, and prompted a near-certain fare increase, had Patrick and state lawmakers not agreed on a sales tax increase last year, devoting part of the revenue to the agency.
Related:
"Legislators also agreed last week to change legal language in the recently passed sales tax hike to assure credit agencies that $100 million earmarked for the Turnpike Authority would go toward paying off Big Dig debt"
What a swindle!
Similar transactions over the last decade have helped make the MBTA’s debt larger, pushing out interest payments further into the future and perpetuating a yearly threat of fare hikes and service cuts.
All so BANKS can GET PAID!
About 27 cents of every dollar the T spends goes to debt payments....
That's why SERVICE is so SHITTY! The TAX LOOT is going to BANKS!
--more--"
Are you really going to reelect such a disingenuous liar, Massachusetts?
"Money issues top 2d-to-last TV debate in governor’s race; Candidates spar in Western Mass." by Michael Levenson and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | October 22, 2010
The debate was broadcast live from WWLP’s Chicopee studios....
And I missed it.
The candidates sparred over the employment figures released by the state yesterday, which showed that the unemployment rate has dipped from 8.8 percent in August to 8.4 percent in September, even as Massachusetts lost nearly 21,000 jobs last month....
What is wrong with that picture?
Earlier yesterday, Baker’s campaign tried to raise fresh questions about Patrick’s role five years ago on the board of ACC Capital, the parent company of Ameriquest Mortgage, one of the nation’s largest subprime lenders.
Related: The Boston Globe Censors Patrick's Past
Why am I not surprised he was up to his neck in bank looting?
Patrick’s role at the company, which he said he joined to help fix, first became an issue during his 2006 campaign. But that was before the full effects of the company’s lending practices had been felt in the recession and the collapse of the housing market.
“Voters should look at it because it’s caused a lot of people to lose their life savings, lose their homes, lose their jobs, because of what happened in the whole mortgage industry,’’ Baker’s running mate, Senate Minority Leader Richard R. Tisei, told reporters outside the State House.
Yeah, I notice that is not much of an issue. Banks never are.
Patrick, after a visit to the Newton Senior Center, responded tersely that his record at the company had already been vetted during his last campaign.
“We did a lot of good work there, and there was an awful lot that happened in that industry, which was not good, as you know, and that’s all I’ve got to say about that,’’ the governor said....
And it all magically disappears from the coverage!
--more--"
Baker, Patrick, and Cahill campaigned as a new poll of likely voters indicated that Patrick is leading Baker by eight percentage points, 44 percent to 36 percent, with Cahill at 8 percent and Jill Stein of the Green-Rainbow Party at 5 percent. The poll was conducted by Western New England College.
Patrick, meanwhile, courted voters in Western Massachusetts, telling firefighters in Ludlow that “no other state in America is creating jobs as fast as we are in the Commonwealth.’’
“Our economy is growing at twice the national growth rate,’’ he added.
(Blog editor just shakes his head at the brazenness and boldness of the lying)
Patrick is basing his job assertions on longer-term reports, developed by the state’s Labor Department.
Translation: He was talking s***.
But the state labor report cited by Patrick was updated yesterday, and Massachusetts now ranks fourth in job growth since December, following job losses in August and September. Patrick spokesman Alex Goldstein said Patrick was unaware of the updated ranking when he made his statement.
Related: Boston Globe Business Pages Are Nothing But Bulls***!
Yup, can't believe a damn word!
But the governor faulted Baker for focusing on job losses alone....
That is NOT GOING TO HELP YOU, guv!
In the evening, about 100 supporters gathered at a rally at the Italian-American Club in Pittsfield for Patrick and other Democratic candidates....
After speaking for about 10 minutes, Patrick shook hands and met with dozens of supporters. He playfully razzed one man in a Yankees cap, who laughed, bashfully took it off, and hid it behind his back.
He intimidated the kid, huh?
--more--"
"Patrick opens narrow lead, poll suggests; GOP’s energy may pose threat for governor" by Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | October 24, 2010
Governor Deval Patrick has opened a slim lead over Republican rival Charles D. Baker as the heated four-way governor’s race enters its final days, but a strong anti-incumbent mood, discouragement within Democratic ranks, and excitement among Republicans still threatens his bid for a second term, according to a new Boston Globe poll.
The survey of likely voters gave Patrick a four-point edge over Baker, 43 percent to 39 percent, while independent Timothy P. Cahill, the state treasurer and former Democrat, trailed far behind with 8 percent. Green-Rainbow candidate Jill Stein received 2 percent....
Patrick isn't going to win, folks. He's stuck at 44.
Patrick’s narrow lead, though within the poll’s 4.3 percent margin of error, is an encouraging sign for the incumbent heading into the final full week of campaigning. The Globe poll a month ago had the race virtually tied, with Patrick at 35 percent and Baker at 34 percent.
This is the same Globe that said Marty Coakley would beat Brown by double-digits.
Related: Boston Globe Still in its Liberal Bubble
That's who they are calling, huh?
Also see: Boston Globe Bubble Will Not Burst
I think Patrick's is about to; we have elected Republican governor before.
In addition, Patrick’s standing among voters, which had dropped dramatically over the last couple years, has recovered, with the poll indicating for the first time since December 2008 that more people view him favorably than unfavorably. Forty-nine percent of respondents said they viewed him positively, with 43 percent expressing a negative opinion.
By contrast, Baker’s unfavorable rating has increased sharply, from 25 percent to 40 percent, since last month, while his favorable standing went from 31 percent to 38 percent.
The poll is the first since Baker entered the race last year in which more respondents said they viewed him unfavorably than favorably.
Patrick is also seen as more likable than Baker by a wide margin, 44 to 25 percent; just half of Baker supporters identified him as the most likable candidate. Voters are divided over whether they believe Baker or Patrick is the strongest leader and best identifies with people like them.
We are NOT ELECTING a BFF!!
Baker’s drop in popularity comes amid a blitz of negative television ads, but it also could reflect political damage from the controversy over Cahill’s running mate and former aides abandoning the ticket to support the Republican campaign instead.
Starting to swing the other way now based on the adverts on TV.
Andrew E. Smith, director of the University of New Hampshire’s Survey Center, which conducted the poll for the Globe, said the race continues to be a referendum on Patrick.
Then HE IS DONE! INCUMBENTS OUT!
He said the governor’s low job-approval rating, 44 percent, would typically indicate that he faces an almost insurmountable hurdle; polling specialists say an incumbent usually needs at least a 46 percent job-approval rating to win reelection.
But Smith said there are several aspects of the race that give Patrick, once seen as politically dead even by many in his party, a solid chance of winning a second term. Cahill is still drawing enough support to be significant, the state continues to be heavily Democratic, and Baker has turned some voters off.
Those Cahill defectors coming to him.
“Patrick may be able to weather the bad political storm Democrats are facing in Massachusetts and across the country,’’ Smith said.
Then I will be extremely disappointed in my fellow citizens.
The survey of 519 likely voters was taken Oct. 17-22.
Although last month’s Globe poll suggested that Cahill was drawing voters about equally from Baker and Patrick, the current poll suggests Cahill’s presence in the race could be hurting the Republican more. The sample size is small, but among Cahill voters, 46 percent said Baker was their second choice, and 22 percent said Patrick was.
And when those voters hit the booth and decide not to waste a vote on Cahill.... ?
Still, the findings show serious impediments for Patrick.
In addition to the governor’s low job-approval rating, Baker enjoys a wide margin among independent voters, the most sizable bloc in the state.
And the ones who DECIDE ELECTIONS!
And voters by a wide margin — 55 percent to 39 percent — believe the state is heading in the wrong direction, with many residents still out of work and worried about their economic future. That indicates a good portion of the electorate wants to change the leadership on Beacon Hill.
YUP!
In another sign of strong anti-incumbent sentiment, 49 percent of respondents said that, overall, they want to see a new crop of leaders in Massachusetts and in Washington. Only 28 percent said they trust current officeholders.
It is a COUNTRYWIDE PHENOMENA!
Also working against Patrick — as with all Democratic incumbents — is the angst Democratic voters feel toward the election, which could lower the party’s turnout on Nov. 2. At the same time, there is a high level of excitement among Republicans and independents. The survey found that 43 percent of likely Democratic voters are depressed about the election, while 76 percent of the Republicans are excited....
With Patrick heavily favored by Democrats and Baker getting most Republican votes, the contest is coming down to independents, who make up more than half the electorate. Among registered independents, Baker leads 47 to 33 percent.
And that is why the news channels will be calling this another Massachusetts "upset" tomorrow night.
Unless the voting machines are rigged, of course.
One of those, Greg Reynolds, a 26-year-old Army veteran who served in Iraq, said he is leaning toward voting for Baker. He voted for Patrick in 2006.
So am and so did I.
“I look at the budget deficit and am convinced we need a better financial plan,’’ said Reynolds, of Dighton.
“I look at Deval Patrick and I see spend and spend and more taxes.’’
Yup.
But Lillian Edmondson, a 60-year-old Quincy resident, says she can’t support Baker because of his involvement in the Big Dig and his former tenure as a health insurance executive. Nor is she is taken by Cahill. So while she is not overjoyed with Patrick, she believes he is the “best of the two evils.’’
You mean the lesser of? Really a s***ty way to cast a ballot.
“I think he tries hard,’’ said Edmondson, an independent. “He comes across as a very nice man, he is very intelligent. He is more into facing the issues.’’
--more--"
"Governor hopefuls stoke campaign flames" by Noah Bierman and Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | October 25, 2010
MELROSE — A new Globe poll showed Patrick with a slim 43 percent-to-39 percent lead over Baker with only one campaign week remaining.
Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, running as an independent, drew support from 8 percent of those polled by the Globe. Green-Rainbow candidate Jill Stein had 2 percent....
--more--"
"Debate finale offered few twists" by Brian C. Mooney, Globe Staff | October 26, 2010
Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein, who has been a minor factor in the race, eloquently defended her third-party candidacy. An advocate of Canadian-style single-payer health care and a critic of charter schools’ effect on public education, she said: “If I were not in it, we would not be having’’ a debate on those issues....
When did we have that debate because I think I missed it.
Despite or perhaps because of all these debates and forums, one thing is clear from the many public polls in this race: Massachusetts voters are not thrilled about their choices in the race for governor. In the most recent survey conducted for the Globe last week, only Patrick registered favorably with voters — and not by much. Of those polled, 49 percent had a favorable opinion of him, compared to 43 percent who view him unfavorably.
Cahill’s numbers have dropped through the floor: 24 percent favorable to 46 percent unfavorable. And Baker’s negatives have spiked recently: 38 percent view him favorably, compared to 40 percent unfavorably. Stein is 16 percent to 24 percent, favorable to unfavorable.
More troubling for the incumbent, though, is his perilously low job-approval rating among likely voters: 44 percent approve of Patrick’s performance, 49 percent disapprove.
Some of this undoubtedly is a byproduct of the onslaught of negative television advertising, much of it bankrolled by outside groups, that tries to reduce the candidates to caricatures of themselves and their records....
The pot-hollering kettle of the establishment media again.
--more--"
“Our volunteers are enthusiastic and engaged,’’ Baker said yesterday, speaking from a spit of park land behind the University of Massachusetts Boston. “They are coming on Election Day.’’
Patrick is counting on a network of volunteers who have signed up to help him get his supporters to the polls on Tuesday....
State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, the independent candidate who has fallen to single digits in the polls, will try to recapture attention with a State House press conference today. He is also planning a rally tomorrow night at a function hall in his hometown of Quincy. Green-Rainbow candidate Jill Stein is also running, although she kept a low profile yesterday....
--more--"
"Patrick, Baker differ on state’s job picture" by Noah Bierman and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | October 28, 2010
The fourth candidate, Jill Stein of the Green-Rainbow Party, rallied in Natick yesterday, decrying the influence of money in elections, her campaign said.
But Baker and Patrick are effectively in a two-person race, polls show, and both are casting the election as a referendum on Patrick’s economic policies....
Then he is finished.
--more--"
"Candidates picking their spots; In final push, Patrick, Baker focus on core constituencies" by Noah Bierman and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff | October 29, 2010
Baker has also ventured repeatedly into the traditional Democratic strongholds of Worcester and Lowell, hoping to make inroads there, but has made few visits west of Worcester, where Patrick has a second home and has been particularly visible as governor.
The governor has largely avoided many of the conservative towns surrounding Worcester, where Baker has been active. Instead, the governor has hit the trail in liberal enclaves such as Cambridge, blue-collar cities such as New Bedford and Fall River, and Western Massachusetts, where he has campaigned often in Pittsfield and Springfield, and in tiny hamlets.
Translation: Baker is MAKING INROADS while Patrick surrounds himself with delusional reassurance.
Just yesterday, with a mere five days remaining in his close race with Baker, Patrick campaigned in Chicopee, Amherst, and Heath, a town near the Vermont border, where he held a small forum in a schoolhouse, fighting for the support of every one of its 513 registered voters....
Part of the county, dear readers!
--more--"
So how did they receive him?
"Amid give and take, no rekindling of 2006 spirit" by Stephanie Ebbert and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | October 29, 2010
Five days before voters head to the polls, Governor Deval Patrick made his way to the tiny hill town of Heath, a Western Massachusetts community with just 800 residents who rewarded him mightily for his campaign’s attention four years ago. So grateful were they after the virtual unknown showed up to campaign there that all but six voters supported him in the Democratic primary, giving him 97 percent of the vote.
“I wanted to come back and remind you that I have not forgotten you,’’ he said during a town gathering yesterday at Heath Elementary, a modern school nestled between forest, fields and farms.
I don't think they are putting him over the top.
And do I ever love my home.
But it is tough to recapture the magic of a together-we-can campaign as an incumbent asking for four more years.
Especially after four disappointing years.
While a new Suffolk University/7 News poll yesterday showed Patrick holding on to a 7-point lead over Republican Charles D Baker, the voters of Heath, even those who support the governor, seemed more weary than euphoric as they greeted their onetime hero.
“I don’t know what his chances are,’’ said Rebecca Allen, 39, a member of the town’s Board of Health and School Committee who lost her job as a personal-care assistant more than a year ago....
Patrick fielded questions that were friendly if not always agreeable.
Yeah, we speak our mind out here.
The governor disagreed with one questioner that the Green-Rainbow Party candidate, Jill Stein, was diluting his support in the race and that her support for a single-payer health care system was the only solution....
I would vote Stein except for one reason.
Others in the crowd offered only tepid support....
And this is supposed to be his hardcore base!
--more--"
And a FINAL CHECK of the POLLS before we cast our vote:
"Baker, Patrick duel on welfare; Challenger blasts debit card system" by Michael Levenson and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff | October 30, 2010
With a flurry of new polls suggesting a close race for governor, Republican challenger Charles D. Baker attacked Governor Deval Patrick over the state’s welfare program yesterday....
Several new polls have shown Patrick slightly ahead. A Suffolk University/7News poll released late Thursday showed Patrick with a seven-point lead. Patrick leads Baker by 3 percentage points in a State House News Service poll, and by 1 percentage point — 2 points with so-called leaners included — in a Rasmussen poll, both released yesterday.
The fact is, Rasmussen is probably the closest to the sentiment in the state.
State Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, an independent who received no more than 11 percent in any poll, visited businesses in the South Shore yesterday. Jill Stein of the Green-Rainbow Party, who has topped out at 3 percent in polls, met with voters at the Copley Square Farmer’s Market....
--more--"
So who does the Globe recommend?
Globe Editorial Vision, and a record of reform: Patrick deserves second term
Then it is going to be Baker when I go into the voting booth.
More from the campaign trail:
Cahill campaign rocked as running mate defects
Rumors of Loscocco’s exit were swirling before defection
Day after defection, Cahill gets some sympathy on trail
Cahill: A boy who wouldn’t back down
Baker: Happy days, high expectations
Rivals pound pavement, press the flesh
Baker says no job deal for Loscocco
For Cahill, success and complications
Patrick ad slams Baker record at insurer; rival hits taxes
Cahill accuses ex-aides of plot to help Baker
A defection chronicled via e-mail
In this political thriller, there aren't any good guys
Campaign crossfire hotter still
Loscocco says Patrick aide coordinated with Cahill camp
The players behind the major gubernatorial candidates
Baker quietly accepts endorsement by Mass. State Police
Cahill’s advisers discussed lottery adsGubernatorial candidates grilled by young audience
Charlie Baker’s dance on donations
Gubernatorial candidates’ role models offer insight
As governor, Patrick stumbled before finding stride
Lottery ads still on 2 days after Cahill agreed to a halt
Baker varied Big Dig cost estimates for bond buyers
Conspiracy! Betrayal! Deceit!
Gloucester exemplifies statewide struggles with school aid
Menino, union leader help Patrick push record on jobs
For Baker, relaxing could be the key
Implementing tax cuts could take time, Baker says
Patrick targeted by foes of slots
Cahill brushes off critics, odds
Rivals differ on serving seniors
Patrick’s new ad has potential to backfire
For Governor Patrick, optimism prevails
Baker, Patrick vie for high-tech edge
Gubernatorial candidates shake hands, dodge protests
Candidates dig in their heels
If he slips, his shadow will know
Business people giving millions in governor’s race
Gubernatorial candidates offer ideas for economy
Candidates try to scare up last few votes
Candidates offer their top 5 for the first 365
Also see:
- Baker the Butcher
- The Final Word on Charlie Baker
- Globe's Governor's Race: Checking the Polls
- Globe's Governor's Race: Burying Charles Baker
- Globe's Governor's Race: Democrats Cook Up Dirty Tricks on Baker
- Globe's Governor's Race: Campaign Cash Champ
- Globe's Governor's Race: Patrick's Broken Promise
- Globe's Governor's Race: Uniting Behind Patrick
- Globe's Governor's Race: Patrick Plays the Race Card
- Globe's Governor's Race: State Treasurer Didn't Pay His Taxes
- Globe's Governor's Race: Economy Stuck in the Marshes
- Globe's Governor's Race: Gambling on Casinos
- Globe's Governor's Race: Immigration is the Issue
- Globe's Governor's Race: Gay Gripes
- Globe's Governor's Race: Hot Wind on the Campaign Trail
