Lou

Healey clinches governor’s race; Democrats sweep other top posts

Democrat Maura Healey sailed to victory in Massachusetts governor’s race on Tuesday, soundly defeating Republican Geoff Diehl to become the first woman and openly gay candidate to win the state’s top elected post.

Healey and her running mate Kim Driscoll, a Salem Democrat, had more than 64% of the vote against Republican challenger Diehl and his running mate, Leah Allen of Danvers.

“I’m here tonight because of the people of this state who talked to me about their lives and their dreams, what they want, and what they need,” Healey told supporters at the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel Tuesday night. “To those who voted for me, and those who didn’t, I want you to know I’ll be a governor for everyone.”

Healey and Driscoll both thanked their family, friends and supporters and reminded them that the duo will break through Beacon Hill’s traditional glass-ceiling with the first, all-female gubernatorial administration.

“Hey Massachusetts, tonight we made history,” Driscoll told the crowd to a roar of applause. “Actually, we made herstory!”

The Associated Press called the race shortly after polls closed at 8 p.m. but Diehl’s campaign didn’t immediately accept the outcome of the election.

Healey and Driscoll will replace two-term Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who weren’t seeking another term.

They will also shift control of the governor’s corner office back to Democrats for the first time in eight years.

In other statewide races, Democrat Andrea Campbell, a former Boston city councilor, defeated Republican Jay McMahon, a Bourne lawyer, in the race to replace Healey as the state’s attorney general. She will become the state’s first Black attorney general.

Incumbent Secretary of State William Galvin, a Democrat, deflected a challenge from Republican nominee Rayla Campbell and Green-Rainbow candidate Juan Sanchez to win a historic eighth term, making him one of the longest-serving secretaries of state in the nation.

In the state auditor’s race, state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen, appeared poised to edge out Republican Anthony Amore of Winchester and three independent candidates to replace Democrat Suzanne Bump, who isn’t seeking a fourth term.

And incumbent Treasurer Deb Goldberg easily fended off a challenge from Libertarian candidate Cristina Crawford to win another term as the state’s top financial watchdog.

Despite her loss, Crawford received more than the 3% of the vote needed to restore the Libertarian Party’s status as a major political party ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Healey clinches governor’s race; Democrats sweep other top posts Read More »

Andrea Campbell elected state’s first Black woman attorney general

Democrat Andrea Campbell has been elected as Massachusetts Attorney General, NBC News projects, making her the first Black woman to serve as the state’s top law enforcement officer.

She defeated GOP candidate Jay McMahon, who was seeking to become the first Republican elected to the post since the 1960s.

During the campaign, Campbell promised a focus on equity while McMahon vowed to target crime and corruption.

Speaking to an audience of supporters at an election night party in Boston on Tuesday, Campbell called it a “history-making night” for Democrats.

[This is] the first time you have elected a woman of color and a Black woman to serve as attorney general in Massachusetts,” Campbell said. “We don’t just say representation matters, we are showing it, and that history and responsibility is not lost on me.”

Campbell declared herself the winner less than an hour before the AP announced its projection that she would defeat McMahon late Tuesday night. Her speech was briefly interrupted by a wave of cheers that rang out from the back of the room to the balconies.

“I will come to work every day with joy, hope, possibility, integrity, and accountability to you the people,” she said. “I look forward to getting to work for a more fair and just Commonwealth.”

Andrea Campbell elected state’s first Black woman attorney general Read More »

Early Voting Begins on October 22

The statewide election date has been set for November 8. Voters will choose Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer and Auditor alongside all 200 sets in the Legislature. (Select CANDIDATES on the menu to see a list of candidates.)

Early voting begins on Saturday October 22. Early voting is done at the Town Hall in the Toomey Room.

The early voting schedule is as follows:

  • Saturday October 22 : 10 AM to 4 PM
  • Monday October 24 : 8 AM to 12 PM
  • Tuesday October 25 : 8 AM to 12 PM
  • Wednesday October 26 : 8 AM to 12 PM
  • Thursday October 27 : 11 AM – 6:30 PM
  • Saturday October 29 : 10 AM to 4 PM
  • Monday October 31 : 8 AM to 12 PM
  • Tuesday November 1 : 8 AM to 4 PM
  • Wednesday November 2 : 8 AM to 4 PM
  • Thursday November 3 : 8 AM to 7 PM
  • Friday November 4 : 8 AM to 12 PM

Anyone interested in holding signs on Election Day can sign up here: Yes, I want to hold signs.

Early Voting Begins on October 22 Read More »

Election Day – November 8

The statewide election date has been set for Tuesday, November 8. Voters will elect Governor, Lt. Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer and Auditor alongside all 200 sets in the Legislature. (Select CANDIDATES on the menu to see the list of candidates.)

Polls are located at the Danvers high School from 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Sample Ballot: https://storage.googleapis.com/proudcity/danversma/uploads/2022/06/Sample-Ballot-11-08-22-State-Election.pdf

Election Day – November 8 Read More »

Jan 6 Committee subpoenas Trump

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol issued a subpoena to former President Donald Trump on Friday, compelling his testimony and relevant documents.

The committee took the major and unexpected step of voting to subpoena Trump during its hearing last week. The subpoena sets up a timeline for the president to provide relevant documents to the committee, by Nov. 4, and to testify before the committee, by Nov. 14.

Among the documents that Trump must provide are his calls and messages from Jan. 6, 2021, any contact with members of Congress related to the election between Dec. 18 and Jan. 6, 2021, photos and video recordings taken during the events of Jan. 6, communication referencing extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and any communication between Nov. 3 and Jan. 20 with a list of individuals including Steve Bannon, Roger Stone and John Eastman, among other documents.

Jan 6 Committee subpoenas Trump Read More »

Democrats Stand Out on October 10

On Monday Oct. 10, the DDTC and other neighboring Democrat Committee members held a major visibility event on Route 1 North at the CVS/Stop and Shop Plaza supporting the all state and local Democratic candidates.  

There was a good turnout and a lot of positive feedback from route one drivers.

Everyone got there on time except one person who created the notice for the event on this website and showed up promptly at 12:00 PM as everyone was getting ready to go home.

Democrats Stand Out on October 10 Read More »

Healey – Diehl Debate

Candidates for Massachusetts governor Geoff Diehl and Maura Healey participated in the first televised debate between between the current attorney general and former state representative.

There was a lot of back and forth during the debate, which was held by NBC10 Boston, NECN and Telemundo Boston, on issues that have been making a lot of headlines lately, including immigration and climate change.

One of those issues was abortion.

“I appreciated that the Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision because I always felt, like Ruth Bader Ginsberg felt, that abortion should be a states issue,” Diehl said, adding that his job as governor would be to protect women’s healthcare choices.

Healey, though, criticized Diehl’s position on the overturning.

“The Supreme Court overturned Roe. My opponent celebrated when the Supreme Court overturned Roe,” Healey said. “He wants to defund Planned Parenthood. He wants to jail doctors who provide abortion care. That’s a real difference in this race.”

Healey and Diehl also clashed when it came to education.

“My opponent’s education plan, I just want to be really clear with the voters: he wants to ban books,” Healey said. “He wants to require that anytime a child wants to go into a public library, they have to get a permission slip… That’s not the direction we need to go.”

Diehl argued back, saying he wanted to give more choice to parents. “No, this is not about removing books from libraries or banning anything,” Diehl responded. “This is about allowing parents to have a say for what is in the schools, whether it’s in the curriculum or what is in the school libraries.”

Speaking of school, when asked about giving a letter grade for Governor Baker, Diehl gave him a “B”. Healey wouldn’t give him a grade, only saying he did a really good job.

Former President Donald Trump’s name loomed large at the start of the debate.

“This is really clear in this election— my opponent is Donald Trump’s candidate for governor. I’d be honored to be yours,” Healey said.

Diehl called mentions of Trump simply a distraction to what’s important in the race. He seemed to distance himself a bit from Trump and stolen election claims, even admitting that President Biden won in 2020. “You’re going to hear about Donald Trump because it’s Halloween time and that’s her bogeyman, that’s what the media likes to talk about, it’s Donald Trump,” Diehl said.

Another big issue that was brought up was transportation in the Bay State.

“We don’t have a functioning economy in Massachusetts unless we have a functioning transportation system that works for all over the state,” Healey said. “We need to make it safe, we need to make it affordable and we need to make it reliable.”

Diehl wants to see less outside help when it comes to getting the MBTA up to speed. “What we need to do, I believe, is not bring in consultants who always try the MBTA what to do,” Diehl said. “I think we need to listen to the workers. The workers know exactly what needs to be fixed.”

In my view, it was an odd debate.

Healey has not been criticizing Baker apparently courting the Democrats that voted for Baker and the moderate Republicans. This gave it the feeing that she was the incumbent defending her record instead of attacking the previous administration.

Diehl spent the hour “putting lipstick on a pig”. He really wasn’t that pro life and would just enforce the states laws regarding abortion. He really wasn’t a true Trump MAGA disciple who won the nomination just because Trump liked him. He really wasn’t for removing books that didn’t jive with his ideology just parents rights to set the curriculum. He really isn’t the guy displayed at the GOP convention.

Healey – Diehl Debate Read More »

Jan. 6 committee votes to subpoena Trump

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol voted Thursday to subpoena former president Donald Trump as it presented a sweeping summation of its case placing him at the center of a calculated, multipart effort to overturn the 2020 election, beginning even before Election Day.

At what may have been its final public hearing and just weeks before midterm elections in which control of Congress is at stake, the panel knit together evidence and testimony from its nine previous presentations while introducing new revelations about Trump’s central role in numerous plots to maintain power.

The committee laid out in vivid detail how Trump, enraged and embarrassed that he had lost the election and unwilling to accept that fact, sought to join the crowd he had summoned to Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, as it marched to the Capitol — knowing that some of his supporters were armed and threatening violence as Congress met to certify his defeat.

“None of this is normal, acceptable, or lawful in our republic,’’ said Representative Liz Cheney, Republican of Wyoming and the committee’s vice chair.

The committee also showed previously unreleased video from the secure location where congressional leaders hunkered down while the Capitol was under attack. The footage offered a glimpse of the shock and disbelief that gripped them as they urgently phoned governors and top national security officials in efforts to summon the National Guard or get Trump to call off the assault.

After nearly 2½ hours, the committee wrapped up with a direct challenge to the former president, voting to subpoena him to appear for a formal deposition, a step that is exceedingly unlikely given his refusal to cooperate in the inquiry and could lead to a bitter legal battle.

“He is the one person at the center of the story of what happened on Jan. 6,’’ said Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the committee’s chair.

“He must be accountable,’’ Thompson added. “He is required to answer for his actions.’’

In one particularly chilling segment of the hearing, the panel played video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi huddling with other congressional leaders after being evacuated from the Capitol, reaching out to law enforcement and military officials and begging for the National Guard to help put down the violence.

“Do you believe this?’’ Pelosi says to colleagues as she receives reports that lawmakers are donning gas masks on the House floor to prepare for a breach.

Later, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, is seen speaking loudly into his signature flip phone, apparently during a call with Jeffrey A. Rosen, then the acting attorney general, imploring him to get Trump to ask his supporters to leave the Capitol, where Schumer notes that some senators are still hiding in their offices.

“Why don’t you get the president to tell them to leave the Capitol, Mr. Attorney General, in your law enforcement responsibility?’’ Schumer said.

The stunning behind-the-scenes look came as the panel delivered what amounted to a closing argument to an investigation that began 15 months ago. Members took turns laying out an indictment of Trump, telling a story that began in the summer of 2020 and, by their own account, has still not ended.

Well before any votes were cast, the committee members said, Trump had hatched a plan to simply claim victory on Election Day.

“The ballots counted by the Election Day deadline show the American people have bestowed on me the great honor of reelection to president of the United States — the deadline by which voters in states across the country must choose a president,’’ Tom Fitton, a right-wing activist who heads the group Judicial Watch, suggested Trump say in a statement, effectively discounting lawfully cast early and absentee votes.

Fitton, who offered the advice days before the election, indicated in a text message presented by the panel that he had discussed the idea with Trump.

And the committee showed how the president embraced that approach, despite the advice of aides who told him on election night that he could not say he had won. With a coterie of allies, Trump then sought to stave off his defeat by spreading lies that voting across the country had been marred by widespread fraud.

Even though dozens of courts ruled against him and his own advisers ultimately told him to concede, Trump stubbornly ignored the facts, the committee said, and aggressively pressured state officials, strong-armed Justice Department leaders, and sought to create fake slates of electors in states that had been won by Joe Biden.

Then, with his hold on power slipping, Trump called a crowd to Washington on Jan. 6, mobilizing both ordinary supporters and far-right extremists, some of whom had expressed their violent intentions in the days leading up to the event, the committee said. As hundreds of people stormed the Capitol that day, assaulting police officers and disrupting the certification of the election, Trump effectively turned his back on the chaos he helped sow.

Chief among the new revelations at the hearing was that the Secret Service was aware before Jan. 6 that some Trump supporters were using online forums to discuss plans for violence, including plots to storm the Capitol. Trump and key members of his security detail knew on the day of the attack that many people in the crowd that had gathered to hear him speak in Washington were carrying weapons and were possibly dangerous, the committee said.

The panel plans to continue investigating the Secret Service’s role in Jan. 6, including testimony it has received about “potential obstruction’’ and “advice given not to tell the committee’’ about certain incidents, said Representative Pete Aguilar, Democrat of California and a committee member.

The panel presented more evidence that Trump had been told by several of his own top advisers, including his daughter Ivanka Trump and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, that he had lost the election and should abide by the decisions of more than 60 courts that had ruled against his claims of fraud.

But Trump, mortified by his losses in court, could not bear to do so, according to a recorded interview with Cassidy Hutchinson, an aide to Mark Meadows, Trump’s final chief of staff.

“He said something to the effect of: ‘I don’t want people to know we lost, Mark. This is embarrassing,’ ’’ Hutchinson recalled in the interview.

Boston Globe October 14, 2022

Video shows in vivid new detail how congressional leaders fled the US Capitol on January 6 and transformed a nearby military base into a command center, where Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Shumer frantically coordinated with Vice President Mike Pence and Trump Cabinet members to quell the insurrection and finish certifying the 2020 election. 

The extended raw footage shines a devastating light on then-President Donald Trump’s inaction during the riot. Lawmakers are seen working around Trump to secure any help they could get – from the National Guard, federal agencies and local police departments – to defeat the mob he incited. This was essentially the legislative branch of the United States of America being attacked by the Executive branch. They called called state Governors and local officials outside the federal agencies for help.

“Everyone involved was working actively to stop the violence, to get federal law enforcement deployed to the scene to put down the violence and secure the Capitol complex,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, said about the footage at the hearing. “All of them did what President Trump was not doing, what he simply refused to do.”

The new clips show chaotic scenes of Democrats and Republicans working the phones at Fort McNair, sometimes together, trying to figure out what was going on at the overrun Capitol, and begging for help.  

In one dramatic scene, then-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer shouted at the Secretary of the Army, Ryan McCarthy, after hearing a rumor that Trump blocked the DC National Guard from rushing to the Capitol.  

“I’d like to know a good God damn reason why it’s been denied,” Schumer said. “Please – the whole Capitol is rampaged. There is a picture of someone sitting in the chair of the Senate. We’ve all been evacuated. There have been shots fired. We need a full National Guard component, now.”  

McCarthy then assures Schumer that there was no stand-down order for the National Guard. 

And in another shocking moment, Schumer and Pelosi are seen chewing out the acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen. In a heated phone call, Schumer told Rosen that federal authorities should “make arrests, starting now,” but Rosen only offered a halting, non-committal response.   

“Um, I have to defer to law enforcement on that,” Rosen replied. 

NOTE: After the attack Republican House Leader Steve Scalise stood at the podium and asked why Nancy Pelosi didn’t call the National Guard. The video shows Nancy Pelosi working feverishly calling federal agencies, states Governors, National Guard and local police with Steve Scalise standing next to her. He knew what she did and lied about it.

Jan. 6 committee votes to subpoena Trump Read More »