Politics
Updates on the races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and Suffolk County District Attorney.
Massachusetts voters will weigh in on several open statewide races this year, first in the Sept. 6 primary election, and then again at the ballot box on Nov. 8.
Bookmark this page for regular updates on several statewide elections, as well as the race for Suffolk County District Attorney.
New data shows that Democrats currently have the advantage in four hypothetical gubernatorial matchups, according to State House News Service. In a new poll conducted by Emerson College, 848 registered voters were surveyed between May 2 and May 4. These voters were asked how they feel about matchups between the top two candidates on either side. The candidates in question were Attorney General Maura Healey and Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz, both Democrats, and former Rep. Geoff Diehl and businessman Chris Doughty, both Republicans.
Currently, Healey and Diehl lead their respective primaries in the polls. When asked to choose between the two, 59 percent said they would pick Healey and 31 percent said they would back Diehl, according to SHNS. When the poll pitted Healey against Doughty, she maintained a lead of 54 percent to his 31 percent. Voters also said they were more likely to support Chang-Diaz over either Republican, but with lower levels of support than Healey. In a race between Chang-Diaz and Diehl, about 46 percent of voters polled backed the Democrat and 32 percent backed the Republican, while Chang-Díaz led Doughty nearly 41 percent to 33 percent, according to SHNS.
On Sunday, Gov. Charlie Baker gave a measured response when asked by WCVB host Janet Wu how much hope he holds for the Republican Party.
“Let’s see what happens between now and November,” Baker said. “There’s a lot of elections that are going to be held between now and November. Let’s see what happens.”
Baker, the state’s top Republican, has historically been popular among independents and Democrats, according to SHNS. He has decided not to seek reelection for a third term, not because of the rise of Former President Trump and his allies like Diehl, but for personal reasons.
“This was 100 percent a family decision,” Baker told WCVB.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Monday fired back at criticism that her chosen Suffolk County district attorney candidate Ricardo Arroyo, the city councilor she endorsed over the weekend, lacks the experience needed to be the county’s top prosecutor.
Wu was asked about why she opted to weigh in on the race during an appearance on WBUR’s “Radio Boston.”
“I have worked with Councilor Arroyo in many different settings, public and private, on legislation, organizing on programing, and advocating for organizations that do this work,” Wu said.
On Saturday, after Wu’s endorsement, Adam Webster, a spokesperson for interim District Attorney Kevin Hayden, suggested in a statement that Arroyo, a former public defender, is underqualified for the position.
“If Mayor Wu believes a novice attorney with zero public safety experience should be the top law enforcement officer in the county, that’s her choice,” Webster said. “We’re confident voters will disagree.”
On Monday, Wu said the criticism sounds similar to pushback other candidates have faced when challenging “the status quo” in Boston.
“I think many of the comments that we’re hearing now are similar to those that we’ve heard for a long time, when in Massachusetts and in Boston, we’re trying to present…
Read More: Tracking the 2022 Massachusetts elections